Minneapolis man sentenced to five and a half years for drive-by shooting; nearly striking child

Deanna Weniger, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Feb. 11—A Minneapolis man was sentenced Friday to five and a half years for shooting at a house and nearly striking a 10-year-old girl last year.

Jovon William Kelly, 27, was sentenced in Ramsey County District Court via Zoom by Judge Reynaldo Aligada Jr. for illegally possessing a firearm and for committing a drive-by shooting.

Kelly's convictions stemmed from two cases, the drive-by shooting on Feb. 3 and another shooting April 2. No one was hurt in either incident. He was given 67 months for the first and 60 for the second. He will serve them concurrently, meaning at the same time.

Of that time, he will serve about three and a half years in prison and the remainder on supervised release, per state law.

According to the criminal complaint for Feb. 3, St. Paul police were dispatched to the 1700 block of Fourth Street on a report of shots fired.

Two people at the residence told police that a bullet was shot at the house, went through the siding, through a shelf and into the bedroom of a 10-year-old girl. The girl had her hands over her face and "appeared to be immensely frightened," charges say. She told police that the bullet had passed directly in front of her face.

The homeowner believed the shooter to be Kelly because she said her boyfriend and Kelly were in a dispute regarding money that her boyfriend owed him. The homeowner believes Kelly had shot at the residence on two prior occasions.

On March 15, police conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle and identified Kelly as the driver. They found a stolen 9mm firearm inside the vehicle. Forensic evidence showed it was the gun used to fire at the house.

Regarding the second case, on April 2, St. Paul police responded to the area of Seventh Street and Johnson Parkway on a report of a shooting. A woman told police a man, later identified as Kelly, fired three shots at her..

The woman said that she believed Kelly, who she described as an ex-boyfriend, had been stalking her. When she returned to her apartment, she saw Kelly waiting in the parking lot. He fired the gun at her, but missed, according to court documents.

Kelly has three prior felony convictions for burglary and drug possession, and several misdemeanors.