A 17-year-old St. Paul boy arrested by detectives Monday night in connection with a fatal shooting was charged Friday with possession of a handgun, authorities said.
According to the Ramsey County Prosecutor’s Office, the teen was charged with one felony count of possession of a firearm.
Around 10:30 p.m. Monday, 911 dispatchers received numerous calls about shots fired, a car crash and a person shot, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a spokesman for the St. Paul Police Department. Police found a Chevrolet Tahoe crashing into a tree on a boulevard near Van Dyke Street and York Avenue. A man in the driver’s seat apparently had a gunshot wound to his upper body, Ernster said.
On Friday, St. Paul police identified the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, as Royce D. McKinney, 22, of St. Paul.
The murder investigation, which included surveillance video showing someone matching the teen’s description running from the scene of the shooting, led authorities to arrest the teen during a traffic stop the next morning, court documents show.
The teen is “known to officers” who have investigated or arrested him in connection with robberies, according to court documents. The most recent report was the day before the shooting, when someone told police the teen was planning to rob someone using a butcher knife as a weapon.
During his arrest, officers found a 9mm Glock pistol with an extended magazine in a backpack.
The murder investigation is ongoing, the Ramsey County Prosecutor’s Office said Friday.
