Eric Walker Charged With Allegedly Setting House Fire That Killed Family Dog

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A man has been charged with arson in connection to a house fire last September which left a family dog dead.

First-degree arson charges were filed in Hennepin County against Eric Lamar Walker on Friday.

According to the complaint, Minneapolis police arrived at the 3900 block of Dupont Avenue North on Sept. 26. A single-family home was in flames and two adults and two children had evacuated the home without injury. The family dog, however, died due to smoke inhalation.

Surveillance video showed that roughly 30 to 40 minutes before the fire, at 10 p.m., four people walked by the house. One of the people was wearing maroon and white shoes.

Then, at roughly 10:40 p.m., video showed two men approaching the property, the complaint states. One of the men was wearing the same maroon and white shoes, and carrying a five gallon gas can. Video shows the fire being lit, and the two men run away from the property.

At 11:30 p.m., the same man was at the scene, taking cell phone video and recordings, according to the complaint. He was identified as Walker.

Officers executed a search warrant on Oct. 12, and found the maroon shoes. Walker told officers that those were his shoes, the complaint states.

If convicted, the arson charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.