Police say the confrontation involved the ex-boyfriend of the pastor’s longtime girlfriend and a dispute over tools.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Minnesota pastor has been charged with second-degree assault after police say he stabbed his girlfriend’s ex-boyfriend during a June 25 confrontation outside a St. Paul home.
Terrence Phillip Walker Sr., 61, faces two counts tied to the alleged attack, which investigators say began as an argument over tools and receipts. The victim survived after emergency surgery. Walker later told police he acted after the man threw a punch, according to charging documents cited in local reports.
Officers were called about 10:45 p.m. to a home on the 1100 block of Marion Street after a report of a stabbing. Police found a 39-year-old man shirtless, bleeding from his mouth and pressing clothing against a deep wound to his lower left abdomen. He was taken to Regions Hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery. Investigators said the man had gone to the home because he believed Walker and Walker’s girlfriend had been pawning his tools and he wanted to see receipts.
The woman told police Walker was her boyfriend of four years and was working outside on her vehicle when her ex-boyfriend arrived. She said the two men argued and got close to each other before she saw Walker swing his arms, according to the complaint. The woman said Walker told the man, “You got in my face. You tried to punch me.” Police said the woman shares children with the victim, and the dispute centered on tools the victim said had been kept in her garage.
A teenage witness told officers she heard a slashing sound and saw the victim bleeding, according to the complaint. She said Walker kept moving toward the man after he was hurt and that Walker had a long knife in a green case. Investigators said police later found Walker at Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church, where he serves as a lead pastor. Officers said they found a razor blade on him and drops of blood on his clothing.
Walker told investigators he had known the victim for about 20 years and said the man had once attended his church. He said the argument began over pawn receipts and that the victim threw a punch. Walker said he swung a blade but could not remember how many times, according to the complaint. Police have not said Walker faces any charge tied to the tools or pawn allegations.
Walker was booked into the Ramsey County Jail and later released after posting $50,000 bond with conditions. He is due back in court July 23. Court records cited in reports did not show that he had entered a plea. The charges are allegations, and Walker is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The case remains pending in Ramsey County as prosecutors review evidence from the scene, witness statements and Walker’s police interview. Authorities have not released further information about the victim’s recovery.
Author note: Last updated July 5, 2026.