INVER GROVE HEIGHTS, Minn. (KMSP) - A Cellular Connection store clerk with a permit to carry shot and wounded an armed robbery suspect Thursday morning in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota. The robbery and shooting were reported at about 11 a.m. at the company's Cahill Avenue location, which is licensed to sell Verizon products.
According to Inver Grove Heights police, the clerk was in the back of the store when they were approached.Hat tip: Arms and the Law .
Would-be Burglar Shot to Death
An apartment break-in ended in a shooting, with the tenant killing the intruder. It happened to our east in Moorhead, Minnesota around midnight Saturday.
The burglar died after being shot in the chest at close range with a shotgun.
It`s been an emotional night for Sara Graham. "I thought he was drunk and trying to rob me; I did not know he was," says Graham. She begins to cry and can`t finish her sentence.
She was sleeping in her apartment when a man walked in in the middle of the night. She yelled at him to leave, and he did.
"No clue who he is," notes Graham.
But the intruder came back, this time entering another apartment. The tenant told police the man refused to leave and tried to pick a fight with him. The apartment owner grabbed his shotgun, and when the intruder attacked again, the tenant fired. It was a fatal shot.
Moorhead police Lt. Tory Jacobson says, "The entire circumstance has to be closely examined and specifically saying X and Y equal this result, you know, have to have variables that come into play, and no one would wish to be in that situation of having to choose between life or death."
Jacobson says everyone has a right to protect himself. That`s what David Allen says his brother, the apartment tenant, did.
"I know my brother isn`t that kind of person, he`d be the first to call the cops. I`m kind of confused by the situation," explains Allen.
The injured man fled back to Graham`s apartment, holing himself up in her daughter`s bedroom.
Neighbor Nelly Peralez says she hoped the deadly scene was only a nightmare. "It`s just shocking, I mean this morning when I woke up I just kept thinking saying please don`t let it be true because I live here," she says.
But as Sara Graham surveys her blood stained carpet, she says her nightmare is just beginning. "He was screaming. He was crying. I`ll never forget it. I`d rather see it again than hear it all over again," she says.
Moorhead police say they will not charge the shooter, apartment tenant Vernon Allen. Police say the dead burglar was a 17-year-old Moorhead boy.
Shot-at meth addict is sentenced for St. Paul burglary
As he stood awaiting sentencing Friday in Ramsey County District Court, Michael G. Spencer had become more than just a methamphetamine addict convicted of burglary.
District Judge Michael Monahan told Spencer that he now was a poster boy for this week's U.S. Supreme Court ruling saying Americans had a right to own guns for self-defense.
Spencer, who was sentenced to 34 months in prison, was arrested in April after he broke into a St. Paul home but then was subdued by a homeowner armed with a gun. The homeowner fired at him, and, although the bullet missed, Spencer, 31, feigned unconsciousness until police arrived, court records show.
His attorney told the judge that Spencer had been a drug user for 14 years and that he was hopeful he could get treatment to turn his life around.
Said Spencer of the incident, "I'm sorry ... I really don't know what happened."
Breaking News: Home Invasion
Two people are assaulted in their home, and the intruder suffers a gunshot wound.
The Martin County Sheriff's Office says it happened last night just before midnight.
They say an intruder apparently entered the home of Elmer and Marcella Sauck at 2488 200th Street in rural Martin County.
Mrs. Sauck was physically assaulted, was able to escape and go to the nearby home of her son, Mark. Mark then went to his parents' house and found his father being assaulted by the intruder. Authorities say Mark then ordered the intruder to stop several times as he approached him, but he didn't.
The intruder suffered a gunshot wound to the leg and was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital.
Mrs. Sauck was also airlifted to Rochester, and Elmer Sauck was transported to Immanuel St. Joseph's Hospital.
Authorities say they're not releasing the intruder's identity because no criminal charges have been filed in the case.
They say the investigation is ongoing.
Suspect killed in Inver Grove Heights liquor store robbery
Fearing he would be shot if he let the liquor store robber tie him up, Matt Huerta made a grab for the gun.
As the two men struggled for control of the weapon at Trail Liquors in Inver Grove Heights Thursday morning, it fired several times. The suspect was hit in the chest and died several hours later. Huerta was able to call 911 for help and is recovering at a St. Paul hospital.
Minutes before the scuffle, the suspect had walked into the store and demanded money from the cash register.
The suspect then walked Huerta, the store manager, to a back room and demanded he open the safe.
Huerta, the only employee in the store at about 10:30 a.m., told the man he didn't know the combination.
"The robber wanted to tie Matt up, and Matt thought if he was tied up, he could be shot,'' said Kathleen Schneider, the store's co-owner. When the man put the gun in the top of his pants, Huerta went to grab it, she said. That's when the scuffle began. The gun apparently discharged several times, she said.
Shots hit the suspect in the chest and the manager in the leg, according to investigators.
The manager then called 911 to report an armed robbery, said Lt. Jerry Salmey, a spokesman for the Inver Grove Heights police.
Huerta, 57, of Rosemount, was listed in good condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul on Thursday. He declined requests for interviews.
The suspect's name won't be released until family members are notified, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's office said Thursday night.
Huerta is in "disbelief" over what happened, Schneider said. "He said it probably all happened in 15 minutes, but it felt like 15 hours."
"You just never think something like this is going to happen,'' Schneider said. "It's so tragic to think that someone would try to do this for a couple hundred dollars."
Minn. man shoots cops after SWAT team kicks down wrong doorFrom the Minneapolis Star-Tribune of December 18, 2007
A Minneapolis police SWAT team kicked in the wrong door yesterday during an early morning raid, prompting the man of the house to grab his gun and open fire on the officers who entered the house.
"He took out his shotgun and he said if they are bad guys I'll shoot, I'll scare them away," Dao Khang, the brother of the homeowner, Vang Khang, tells the Star Tribune. "He fired first, he told me it was two shots."
Dao Khang says his brother was trying to protect his wife and six children. No one from the family was hit during the exchange of gunfire. Vang hit two officers, but the Pioneer Press says they were protected by ballistic vests and helmets.
"I must've heard over 20 or 30 shots, I swear, it was scary," Ruth Hayes, the family's next-door neighbor, tells WCCO-TV. "It was like 30 SWAT guys out here ... it was crazy it was just like havoc."
KARE-TV reports that Vang was detained at the scene and released a few hours later. Police say there may have been a "language barrier" between the residents and the officers.
"It was some bad information that was received on the front end that kind-of trickled all the way through," police Sgt. Jesse Garcia tells the station. "It's unfortunate because we have officers that were hit by gunfire and this truly, truly could have been a much worse situation."
Police haven't decided whether they'll try to charge Khang with a crime. KMSP-TV says the Khang family is consulting with a civil attorney.
Police chief apologizes to family
The family involved in a botched high-risk police search of their north Minneapolis home early Sunday said today that Police Chief Tim Dolan has personally apologized to them.
Dolan met with members of the Khang family earlier today, said Sia Lo, the family's attorney during a news conference held in the upstairs master bedroom that was riddled by at least two-dozen bullet holes. Family members said the shots came from police.
Lo said that Dolan told the family the wrong house was raided and that there was "a breakdown in communication," that led a SWAT team to descend on the home in the 1300 block of Logan Avenue N.
On Monday, Dolan met with members of the Hmong community and family elders. His meeting today with homeowner Vang Khang, his wife, Vee Moua, and extended family was considered a positive step in the healing process, Lo said.
Police apologized, admitting that they had erred based on bad information from an informant, the alleged victim of a violent crime at the house, believed to be one of the last pieces in a long-term investigation focused on violent gang members.
Police said they had no reason to believe the information was inaccurate. They had the right address on the warrant, but the house wasn't occupied by anybody they wanted.
Moua said while watching television she heard noises that ended up being a SWAT team entering the rear of the house about 12:30 a.m. Sunday. She raced upstairs to wake up her husband.
Khang, thinking the intruders were burglars, fired at police through a bedroom wall he said in fear that they would harm his sons in another bedroom. The shots hit two officers, one in the back and one in the head, but both were uninjured because they were wearing protective armor. Police shot back, but did not hit him.
Khang said he realized the intruders were the police only after his 12-year-old son told him so in Hmong.
"Things could've been very tragic," Khang said Tuesday. "Maybe there were spirits watching over us."
Lo said the family will be staying with relatives indefinitely. "I think it will be very difficult for the children right now to come back at this time," Lo said.
Further links:
SWAT Team Barges Into Wrong Home; Scared Home Owner Shoots Cops
Mpls Family Shoots an IntruderThe video report says that Willie Hobbs was allegedly trying to force entry into the home, "trying to find some copper, and got some lead."
A thief targeting a north Minneapolis house got a little more than he bargained when he attempted to break in. Fox 9's Beth McDonough, reporting.
Prosecutors charged a killer today with trying to burglarize two homes seven months after his release from jail.
Feon Stone, 21, is to appear in court Tuesday on a probation violation. He may be sent to prison on his previous manslaughter conviction, for which he had received a stayed sentence.
On Sept. 13, at about 1 a.m., officers were sent to the 1200 block of Rice Street on reports of a man trying to burglarize a house, according to a complaint filed against Stone today by the Ramsey County attorney's office.
According to the complaint:
A man who lives in the home was working on his computer and heard a noise. When he went to check, he saw someone enter his enclosed porch. The man confronted the person on the porch and yelled at him.
The intruder ran toward the man and punched him in the head. They fought, and the man ran to his bedroom to get a gun. He went into the back yard and shot a round into the ground to scare the intruder away.
A police dog was tracking the suspect when police got a call about 1:15 a.m. about a burglary in progress at a home about two blocks away.
Oops -- robber leaves gun behind
A bumbling robber attempting to hold up a north Minneapolis convenience store left a crucial piece of evidence behind: his gun.
The suspect walked into the E & L Market at 2211 Lowry Av. N. Thursday night and demanded money.
The robber covered his face with something in one hand so he could not be identified. But then he made a critical error.
"He set his gun down on the counter to pick up the cash," said Sgt. Tammy Diedrich, a Minneapolis Police Department spokeswoman. "The clerk grabbed the gun."
The robber dropped the cash and fled.
No one has been arrested.
Coon Rapids man said he fired in 'self defense' as he walks out of jail without charges
Investigators refuse to release name of officer, who suspect's family says pulled a gun on them
The Coon Rapids man arrested in the Thursday shooting of an undercover police officer in a road rage confrontation said he shot in "self defense" as he was released this afternoon without being charged.
After meeting with Coon Rapids police, prosecutors opted today to not charge 35-year-old Martin Scott Treptow, said the prosecutor overseeing the case. The investigation, though, into the entire incident continues, prosecutors said.
Witnesses described Thursday shooting as the culmination of a rolling argument that escalated into an apparent full-blown case of road rage. The suspect's family said Treptow fired only after a man pulled a gun on them and they had no idea he was an officer. Treptow said outside the jail this afternoon, that the officer drew his gun first.
Police arrested Treptow shortly after the shooting after he called police from a nearby gas station.
A day after the shooting, the cop's bosses at the Robbinsdale Police Department continue to refuse to release the officer's name.
Coon Rapids police did not rule out the county prosecutor filing charges against the officer. Officials with the Anoka County attorney's office said no charges will be filed in this case at this time.
"At this point we are giving the county attorney's office everything we have. We are not giving any recommendation, one way or the other," Coon Rapids Deputy Chief Timothy Snell said this morning.
Meanwhile, Treptow's family, who last night told the Pioneer Press they were only protecting themselves from a "renegade cop" who had pulled a gun on them, refused to comment this morning.
On Thursday, Robbinsdale Police Chief Wayne Shellum said his officer was just doing his job. But Treptow's father said last night the plainclothes officer threatened his family with his gun and that Treptow shot him to protect his family.
"This is a case of people letting their tempers get out of control," Snell said. "It escalated and became a deadly force situation just because of some petty misdemeanor driving issues."
Police refused Thursday to release the 27-year-old officer's name, saying he was working undercover, but he is described as a six-year veteran of the Robbinsdale police force. He sustained injuries to both legs and an arm, although investigators aren't sure how many shots were fired.
(Much More)
Man, 68, arrested after teenager shot near St. Paul bus stopFrom the St. Paul Pioneer Press of May 11, 2007
A 68-year-old man who told police three teenagers robbed him on a St. Paul street Tuesday night shot one of the men, police say, but officers are still trying to sort through what happened.
The 18-year-old victim was shot in the shoulder and taken to Regions Hospital, said Tom Walsh, a police spokesman. He said the man is expected to survive.
Officers arrested Donald W. Hurd on suspicion of felony assault, but Walsh said it's unlikely he'll be charged.
Police were called to Como and Snelling avenues about 11:40 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a man yelling he had been shot, Walsh said.
Hurd was there and told police he didn't have a gun and no shots had been fired, but officers found a gun on Hurd, Walsh said. They also found the victim nearby.
The four people involved had been riding a Metro Transit bus, but it's unclear whether they were riding together, Walsh said. They all got off at Como and Snelling avenues, Walsh said.
Hurd said the three teenagers pushed the back of his head, knocked him to the ground and took his wallet, Walsh said. Police are investigating the robbery and the teenagers have not been arrested.
Mugging victim leaves jail with nowhere to go
Man who shot one of 3 attackers could still face charges
After spending two nights in the Ramsey County jail, Donald Hurd walked out Thursday with no wallet, no cash and nowhere to go.
The 68-year-old man was mugged Tuesday night in St. Paul, and officers arrested him after he shot one of the suspected robbers.
Hurd was taking the bus Tuesday to pick up his Chevrolet truck from a repair shop and was attacked between stops. On Thursday, he made it to the Roseville shop, but his truck wasn't ready.
The Bigfork, Minn., man thought the jailers would return $100 in cash the robbers hadn't found. He was going to use it to stay in a motel Thursday night. As it turns out, when the jail returns inmates' property, they trade cash for a check. Hurd didn't know what good a check would do him because his driver's license had been stolen.
"I don't like to ask for help," said Hurd, who is retired but comes to the Twin Cities to do odd jobs. He is divorced, and his family lives out of state. "If you get into a situation, it's up to you to get out of it."
Hurd's problems might not be over. Though he was released from jail, he could yet face criminal charges.
He might be a hero in the court of public opinion, but whether Hurd broke the law is a different story.
Hurd said he was only trying to scare the three young men who attacked him. Legal experts said Hurd's case doesn't seem to meet the self-defense standard in Minnesota. The 18-year-old man who Hurd shot in the shoulder is expected to be fine, police said.
You would think somewhere between the letter of the law, there's some space there for some consideration and understanding," Hurd said. "It is an injustice."
The robbery suspects weren't arrested. The investigation into the robbery and the shooting continues, police said.
Hurd was born in St. Paul and raised in San Francisco. He came back to St. Paul when he was 15, after his mother was killed in a car accident, and he lived with his father.
On his 17th birthday, Hurd enlisted in the Army and worked as a military police officer. He was stationed in Germany, what is now Fort McCoy in Wisconsin and at Fort Dix in New Jersey.
After leaving the Army, Hurd returned to Minnesota, where he and his wife raised a family. He worked different jobs over the years - driving trucks and school buses, working as a plumber and an electrician, and being a security guard.
He's a quiet man and said he's embarrassed by the attention his case has received. He said he would have done the same thing if he came across someone in his situation.
"I would give up myself to destroy evil," he said Thursday. "It's just the way I am."
Hurd doesn't have a criminal history, but he acknowledged some problems with the way he handled things Tuesday night. He lied to police at first about the shooting, which he said he did because he was scared and confused. He doesn't have a permit to carry the pistol he had with him.
If he could go back to when he fired his gun Tuesday and change things, he's not sure he would.
"God only knows," Hurd said. "I don't want to say yes and I don't want to say no because you have a different frame of mind in that situation. I felt like I was violated. You look for some justice for yourself."
State Rep. Tony Cornish, who sponsored a bill this legislative session to give citizens more leeway in using deadly force to defend themselves, said he was outraged by what happened to Hurd.
"Maybe if these scumbags that were beating and robbing our old people had some doubt in their mind if they were going to survive their own crime, they would have some doubt about committing it in the first place," said Cornish, R-Good Thunder.
Cornish's bill, which he called "Stand Your Ground" legislation, didn't get a committee hearing. Though it might not have applied directly in Hurd's case, Cornish said, the law would have offered clarity about when and how citizens can defend themselves.
Current Minnesota law says it's justifiable to kill someone if you are "resisting or preventing an offense" that you "reasonably" believe could lead to "great bodily harm or death" for you or another person. If you are in your own home, deadly force can be used to prevent someone from committing a felony.
Even so, local attorneys think an argument could be made for Hurd's actions. If he is charged and the case goes to a jury, he'll likely come across as a sympathetic figure, they said.
"These aren't cases prosecutors like to take to juries," said Richard Frase, a University of Minnesota law professor.
Woman trying to rob St. Paul store is shot by pregnant clerkFrom the Minneapolis Star-Tribune of April 10, 2007
A woman who pretended to have a gun while trying to rob a convenience store on St. Paul's East Side was shot by a pregnant store clerk.
The robbery suspect was shot near the collarbone and was in stable condition at Regions Hospital last night.
Police aren't releasing the name of either woman.
They say the suspect was pretending that she had gun concealed in a paper bag and she scuffled with the clerk, who is in her ninth month of pregnancy.
The clerk was also caring for her toddler at the time.
The clerk was taken to Regions Hospital with cuts and scrapes.
Woman who was shot is charged in robbery
A 30-year-old Shoreview woman was charged Tuesday with an attempted robbery in which she was shot by a pregnant store clerk.
Angel Star Kaster, also known as Angel Star Gustafson, made her first appearance Tuesday afternoon in Ramsey County District Court on a charge of second-degree attempted aggravated assault.
Kaster was ordered held in the Ramsey County jail in lieu of $25,000 bail. Her next court appearance is April 24.
St. Paul police investigators said Kaster, who was shot in the right shoulder on Saturday night, used a TV remote control in a paper bag to simulate a gun in attempting to rob the Super USA store on the East Side.
The clerk, Susana Khalil, who was caring for her 2-year-old daughter at the time of the attempted robbery, struggled with Kaster, according to the complaint. Khalil then grabbed a gun kept in the store and shot the would-be robber in the shoulder.
St. Paul police said store video shows Kaster sneaking up on Khalil and pointing the bag at the clerk as if she has a gun, according to the complaint. The clerk's daughter was near her when the shooting took place, but did not appear to be hurt.
In the complaint, Kaster is quoted as telling police that she tried to rob the store because she needed money for her kids. She also told police she had been drinking before entering the store. She said that she lives at a treatment center in Shoreview because she is an alcoholic, according to the complaint.
Police: Would-be liquor store thief may have been shot, still not foundFrom the Winona Daily News of March 21, 2007
Winona police were looking Saturday for a man who may have been shot while attempting to rob a liquor store Friday night.
According to police, a black man about 6 feet tall wearing a ski mask and dark jacket walked into the Golfview Liquor Store at 1671 W. Fifth St. shortly before 7 p.m., attacked the store clerk and demanded money.
The man threatened to shoot the clerk but did not show a gun, said Winona Police Sgt. Gary Hoeppner.
After a struggle, the would-be robber moved toward the front door, stopped and turned. The 60-year-old employee then fired one shot from a 0.38-caliber handgun.
The employee told police he believed he had shot the robber.
Police recovered one shell casing at the scene but found no blood or evidence of the bullet.
A passerby reported seeing a man run from the store and get into a red SUV.
Police said no one matching the suspect’s description had shown up at area hospitals with a gunshot wound as of Saturday morning.
There was no one else in the store at the time, and no money was taken.
Golfview owner Bill Ahrens said Saturday that he was held up once before “about 25 years ago” but didn’t want to discuss Friday’s robbery.
Nurse accused of helping alleged robber shot during Golfview Liquor holdupThe original report indicated uncertainty whether the perpetrator was actually shot.
Winona County prosecutors on Tuesday charged a Rochester nurse with four felonies in connection with the Feb. 9 robbery of Golfview Liquor store in Winona.
A third person may yet face charges, according to Winona police investigators.
Susan Anne Leathes, 36, faces four counts of aiding an offender. The charges allege Leathes, a nurse, treated her companion, Andre Jones, after he was shot during the botched robbery, and that she lied about it to Winona Police investigators.
According to a criminal complaint, the 37-year-old man was shot with a .38 caliber handgun by a Golfview clerk after he grabbed the clerk by the collar, demanding money and threatening to shoot the clerk. Jones was arrested two days later in Rochester and taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound in his back.
Winona County Attorney Chuck MacLean said Leathes repeatedly lied to Winona police on the day after the robbery and told them she did not notice that Jones had been hurt.
Jones, who was released in July after serving more than 10 years in federal prison for robbing a bank, faces six felony charges in connection with the Golfview robbery. The most serious carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Two of the charges against Leathes carry a maximum possible sentence of one-half that faced by the offender she is accused of aiding. The others carry three-year maximum sentences.
No charges against liquor store owner
A grand jury declined to indict the owner of the Golfview Liquor store Thursday for shooting a man trying to rob his store in February.
Meanwhile, the man accused of robbing the store was in court as prosecutors sought permission to examine him for the bullet they say would tie him to the holdup.
The grand jury, which convened Tuesday, determined there was insufficient evidence to charge William Michael Ahrens, 60, with any crime in the Feb. 9 incident in which he shot a robber with one round from a .38 pistol he kept behind the counter.
Andre Dion Jones, 37, of Rochester was arrested Feb. 11 and remains in the Winona County Jail on six felony charges of robbery and attempted robbery of the store.
According to prosecutors, Jones was shot once in the back after he grabbed Ahrens, demanded money and threatened to shoot him. After his arrest, he was treated at St. Marys Hospital, where he told a doctor, in earshot of police, that he was shot in Winona.
Jones appeared Thursday afternoon in Winona County District Court, where Winona County Attorney Chuck MacLean asked permission to X-ray Jones’ back in search of the bullet.
When Jones was arrested in Rochester two days after the incident, he asked to go to a hospital, according to the criminal complaint. Doctors discovered a bullet his lower back and opted not to remove it.
Jones’ public defender, Ross Phelps, argued that officers took Jones to the hospital even though he didn’t ask to go and had him examined without his consent or a warrant. Phelps argued that MacLean’s request is connected to that search and should be denied.
Phelps also argued that evidence indicated the robber was facing Ahrens when he was shot, while Jones’ gunshot wound was to his back.
District Judge Mary Leahy, who heard the request, said she would issue a decision in the coming weeks.
Prosecutors hope to discover a .38 slug in Jones that matches Ahren’s gun, which would place Jones at the scene.
Prosecutors have also charged Jones’ girlfriend and a man who allegedly drove Jones to and from the store with aiding the robbery, and MacLean said Thursday that both may be called to testify.
An evidence hearing has been scheduled for May.
Jones, who previously has been convicted of bank robbery, could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charge.
Watertown man killed in RockfordPrevious coverage:
A Watertown man was killed when he reportedly broke into the home of a former girlfriend around 3:30 a.m. Dec. 13 in Rockford.
Erik Richter, 35, was killed by two 12-guage-shotgun blasts fired by Eric Cegon when Richter broke into the apartment where Cegon and Richter’s former girlfriend, Samantha Simons, lived together with Simon’s 2-year-old son.
Wright County Sheriff’s Deputy Lt. Todd Hoffman said deputies were looking for Richter because he had allegedly violated an order for protection ordering him to stay away from Simons. He had reportedly threatened her life with a knife the previous week.
Richter was due in court later that morning to answer charges that he had threatened Simons life. A judge could have sent him back to jail for that alleged threat.
According to sheriff’s deputies, Richter broke into the apartment carrying a loaded gun. Hoffman said part of the investigation includes determining who owned the gun and how Richter obtained it. They are also looking into whether drugs or alcohol played a role in incident. Hoffman said the Wright County Attorney would determine within the next two weeks whether charges against the Simons’ current boyfriend, Cegon, are appropriate.
State law allows persons to defend themselves with deadly force if a threat of great bodily harm or death is present. Hoffman said the case is a tragic event where Richter reportedly would not allow anyone beside himself to be involved with Simons.
Hoffman declined comment on whether investigators would recommend charges be filed against Cegon.
Richter had reportedly posted a $10,000 bail to avoid jail for the previous alleged threats he made against Simons. He broke a condition of that release when he allegedly threatened Simons on Dec. 6. Richter has previously been convicted for possession of cocaine and methamphetamine.
A man was shot to death early Wednesday after forcibly entering a home in Rockford, said the Wright County Sheriff's Office.From Minneapolis’ WCCO.com of January 17, 2007
The man, Erik A. Richter, 35 of Watertown, forced his way into his former girlfriend's home in violation of a conditional release order, according to a Sheriff's Office news release.
Deputies were called about 3:30 a.m. to a shooting in the home of Samantha E. Simons, 21, in the 8800 block of Walnut Place, a news release said. The intruder was shot by Simons' friend, a 30-year-old man from Rockford. Investigators were trying to determine whether the shooting was a case of self-defense, said Lt. Greg Howell. He said he couldn't provide any other details.
Man Won't Be Charged For Killing Girlfriend's Ex
The Wright County prosecutor has decided not to press charges against a Rockford, Minn. man who shot his girlfriend's former boyfriend in December.
Eric M. Cegon, 30, shot 35-year-old Erik A. Richter, of Watertown, Minn., twice with a shotgun early in the morning of Dec. 13 when Richter broke in through a back door into the Rockford home of Samantha E. Simons, 21.
According to Wright County Attorney Thomas Kelly, the relationship between Richter and Simons turned abusive, culminating with a charge of domestic assault filed in April 2005.
When Simons began a relationship with Cegon in September 2006, Richter began threatening both of them.
"He refused to let her go, and said that if he couldn't have her, nobody would," Kelly said.
Richter was charged with making terroristic threats and inflicting criminal damage to property on Nov. 6 of last year after he broke all the windows on Cegon's vehicle and tried to climb through his bedroom window, yelling his intentions to kill Cegon.
As a result of the incident, Richter was ordered to have no contact with either Simons or Cegon and was ordered to not possess or use firearms. Simons also applied for an additional restraining order against Richter.
Richter violated the order when, according to Kelly, he allegedly threatened her with a knife on Dec. 6. Due to the incident, a pick-up order was placed for probable cause felony assault. A court date was set for Dec. 13.
Cegon and Simons went to bed the evening of Dec. 12 prepared for a visit from Richter. They barricaded the front door of Simons' house with a small sofa, locked themselves with Simons' son in an upstairs bedroom and blocked the door with a dresser.
Cegon armed himself with a shotgun.
At 3:30 a.m., according to Kelly, Richter broke through the front door of the house and ran upstairs, forcing open the bedroom door and knocking down the dresser. He had in his hand a loaded, .45-caliber Colt semi-automatic handgun.
Later investigation revealed Richter had also brought leg irons and handcuffs.
Cegon shot Richter twice.
According to Kelly, the state law allowing a person to defend himself with necessary deadly force in his home if he feels threatened by an intruder applied to Cegon's case.
"Did Cegon have an honest and reasonable belief that he or Simons were in imminent jeopardy of great bodily harm or death? Yes," said Kelly in a press statement. "Was Cegon's use of deadly force necessary to avert great bodily harm or death? Yes.
"In this case, the state has the burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Cegon was not justified in using deadly force," he continued. "Based upon the facts, I am unable to meet that burden and therefore no criminal charges will be filed against Cegon."
Coon Rapids man kills home invaderFrom the St. Paul Pioneer Press of November 28, 2006
A man who kicked his way into a home in Coon Rapids was shot and killed by the 73-year-old homeowner late Monday night, according to reports.
The homeowner told police that the suspect, and a perhaps a companion, kicked in his rear garage door in the 11700 block of Bittersweet Street at around 11 p.m., according to reports. The man told police he shot and killed the intruder with a rifle.
Police said the homeowner heard people talking and believes there was a second suspect who escaped. The dead man was not carrying any identification, according to police.
No other information was available.
Charges unlikely for Coon Rapids man who shot apparent intruderFrom LaCrosse’s WKBT.com of February 16, 2007
A 73-year-old Coon Rapids man who shot and killed an apparent intruder Monday night "appears unlikely" to face charges, a top Anoka County investigator said today.
The resident told police he was awakened to sounds of what he thought was someone breaking into his house on Bittersweet Street in Coon Rapids, sheriff's Capt. Bob Aldrich said. He grabbed a rifle that he kept in his bedroom around the time a man in his late teens or early 20s entered the room.
"(The resident) fired a single shot, and the suspect was struck in the torso," Aldrich said. "The suspect was able to stumble or stagger down the stairs and then collapsed near a door. And died."
Authorities this afternoon were still trying to identify the suspected intruder, described as a man in his late teens or early 20s, Aldrich said.
The resident declined to speak with reporters when he returned home early this afternoon.
County prosecutors will make the final call on whether or not charges will be filed, but Aldrich said police released the resident without booking him.
No charges against Coon Rapids homeowner who killed intruder
Authorities say they will NOT charge a 73-year-old Coon Rapids man who shot and killed a teenage intruder in his home in November.
Gerald Whaley shot 17-year-old Anthony J. Parks with a .22-caliber rifle he kept loaded by his bed after Parks entered his home and appeared in the doorway of his bedroom.
Assistant Anoka County Attorney Bryan Lindberg wrote in a five-page letter to the sheriff's office that he believed the state would be unable to prove that Whaley broke the law in defending his home.
St. Paul clerk gains upper hand on suspect in robbery attempt
St. Paul police say a potential shooting victim turned the tables on his assailant Monday during an attempted robbery at an East Side convenience store.
Police are searching for a man described as about 5 feet 4 inches tall and about 20 years old.
Just after 4 p.m., police reported, the suspect pulled a gun on the clerk at the Blue Neighborhood Store on the northeast corner of Mendota and Fremont Streets.
"The clerk heard the gun go click and then pulled out his own firearm and fired two or three shots at the suspect," said Tom Walsh, a St. Paul police spokesman.
The suspect fled in a car, and Walsh said it's unclear whether he was hit by the clerk's shots. The clerk's name was not immediately released; police took him to downtown headquarters for questioning. No legal action against the clerk is expected.
"Absolutely not," Walsh said. "Under those circumstances, believe me, he's not in trouble."
Charges dropped against Lutzi
Olmsted County Attorney Ray Schmitz is dropping attempted 2nd degree murder charges in the case against 20-year-old Jade Allen Lutzi.
Police say Jade Lutzi allegedly shot his roommate Joshua Krukow and another man, Carl Sanford, after hearing about a noise violation at his apartment.
Until recently, police had not been able to interview the victims.
Once they had, Schmitz says he believes Lutzi was actually shooting in self-defense after he was assaulted by one of the men.
The man says he assaulted Lutzi, then forced his way into a bedroom where Lutzi was hiding with the intention of continuing the assault.
Lutzi fired the shots as the man entered the room.
Lutzi was released from custody earlier this week.
Late-night visit leads to charges
Victim says he fired shot in self-defense
Three men face burglary charges after an alleged attempt to collect money in Forest Lake backfired and the supposed debtor shot one intruder in the leg with a shotgun.
Cody Joseph Mezzenga, 19, of Lino Lakes, Nicholas Adam Dereschuk, 19, of White Bear Lake, and Jeremy Scott Flom, 19, of Forest Lake will go to court in May accused of busting into 20-year-old Paul Rohde's apartment.
But Rohde apparently turned the tables and shot Mezzenga in the leg as the others fled. The three suspects are charged with aiding and abetting burglary.
Prosecutors are not charging Rohde, who they say appears to have acted in self-defense.
First Assistant Washington County Attorney Sue Harris said Rohde warned the group he was armed, while the chaos of the situation prevented investigators from determining exactly when shots were fired.
Mezzenga's attorney, Jeff DeGree, said his client probably shouldn't have been at the apartment but was merely going along with the group.
The defendants and other defense lawyers did not immediately return messages or answer calls for comment.
According to a criminal complaint drafted by Washington County Prosecutor Kari Lindstrom from police reports, friends of Dereschuk told police Rohde had either stolen or borrowed at least $250 from him. About 1 a.m. March 2, Lindstrom wrote, Dereschuk, Mezzenga, Flom and about six others drove to Rohde's North Shore Drive apartment to get the money back.
Rohde, who is not charged with a crime, told police he was sleeping when he heard the group trying to kick down his door. He grabbed a shotgun from under his bed, loaded it and walked out of his bedroom.
A witness told police that Rohde yelled out that he had a gun in the house and had the gun pointed at the group when the door was kicked in, authorities said.
The group fled; Rohde said one of the men pointed a handgun at him after he followed the group from the apartment. Rohde said he fired in the direction of the men, the complaint states, and the shot hit Mezzenga in the calf.
Mezzenga spent three weeks in the hospital, authorities said. DeGree, Mezzenga's attorney, said his clinet has suffered "serious complications" and his relatives "don't know whether he'll be able to walk again or work."
DeGree said Mezzenga's relatives were upset prosecutors weren't charging Rohde and challenged the idea he acted in self-defense, noting that no gun other than Rohde's was recovered.
Forest Lake man shoots intruder, police say
A 19-year-old Lino Lakes man was rushed to the hospital early Thursday after he was shot when he and several others allegedly confronted a man in a Forest Lake apartment, police said.
The shooting occurred about 1:45 a.m. Thursday, after the group of men went to a North Shore Drive apartment to collect a debt, Forest Lake Police Chief Clark Quiring said today.
The group broke through the door of the apartment, where 20-year-old Paul John Rohde allegedly shot one of the men in the leg with a shotgun, Quiring said.
The group fled the apartment and took Cody Joseph Mezzenga to Fairview Lakes Medical Center in Wyoming. He was later transported to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for surgery.
Quiring said Mezzenga's injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
