St. Paul man charged with shooting at Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy

Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press
·5 min read
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A St. Paul man was charged Thursday with attempted murder for shooting an assault rifle at a Ramsey County sheriff’s deputy from a moving car on the city’s East Side this month.

Deputy Joe Kill wasn’t seriously injured by the rounds fired by Trevion Armand Figgs on March 1, according to the criminal complaint against the 20-year-old. Shrapnel from bullets that hit Kill’s squad struck the deputy near his right collar bone, causing bruising and pain when he turned his head.

“The choice to intentionally shoot at a law enforcement officer is shocking to us all, and we are so grateful that Deputy Kill is recovering from his injuries,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said Thursday in a statement. Choi added, “We will seek justice to its fullest extent for the victim and our community.”

Figgs was arrested Wednesday at his East Side home and is scheduled to make a first appearance in court on the charge Friday. In addition to second-degree attempted murder, he also faces first-degree assault of a peace officer and dangerous weapons-drive by shooting in connection with the shooting.

Meanwhile, the county attorney’s office is reviewing a case against a 17-year-old who is suspected of driving the car from which Figgs allegedly fired the rounds. The teen turned himself in at police headquarters on Wednesday and he was arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and attempted second-degree assault, along with fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle.

Figgs also was charged this week with attempted murder stemming from a June shooting on the city’s East Side, the attorney’s office said Thursday. Figgs allegedly fired nearly 30 rounds at an SUV, one of which struck a 19-year-old man in the back, prosecutors say.

The charges, filed Monday and unsealed Thursday, say the June 26 shooting followed “negative comments” the victim’s friend posted online about Marleisha Davenport, a 15-year-old from South St. Paul who was fatally shot in north Minneapolis on May 18.

DNA, Snapchat evidence

Thursday’s criminal complaint says St. Paul police officers saw someone driving a Honda Accord recklessly at Payne Avenue and Jessamine Street around 10:45 p.m. March 1. The officers tried to pull over the driver, but the car sped away.

The officers turned off their squad lights, and they lost sight of the Accord when it turned south from Jessamine Avenue onto Greenbrier Street.

A short time later, Kill saw the Accord and noticed that two people were in it. When the car blew through a red light at Payne Avenue and Seventh Street, Kill turned on his emergency lights and siren and began to pursue it.

As the Honda headed east on Euclid Street, the front-seat passenger, who wore a face mask, leaned out of the car, sat on the door frame, and fired a tan-colored assault rifle at the deputy, who was 25 to 30 yards behind, the complaint says.

Kill swerved his squad to the left, stopped in the 900 block of Euclid Street and took cover under the driver compartment. Kill thought three shots were fired at him.

Surveillance video audio from the neighborhood recorded approximately three to five gunshot-like noises. Officers found two spent .223-caliber rifle casings in the middle of Euclid Street.

Officers searched the area and found the Accord unoccupied and parked in an alley in the 1000 block of Pacific Street. Later, surveillance video showed the car in the alley around 10:50 p.m., then two people running east.

A search of the car turned up two spent .223-caliber rifle casings. Paperwork showed the 17-year-old was in the process of buying the car.

Further investigation showed a close relationship between the teen and Figgs, whose house is the area where the car was found.

Tests of DNA swabs of a casing recovered from the shooting scene came back to Figgs, the complaint says.

Investigators then received information from Figgs’ Snapchat account. It showed that an account associated with the teen sent Figgs a photo of Figgs wearing a black face mask and holding a tan assault rifle consistent with the one described by the deputy.

On Wednesday, officers executed a search warrant at Figgs’ home and arrested him. In an upper bedroom, officers recovered a tan AR-style rifle stock, a Polymer 80 handgun, a debit card in the teen’s name and loose .223- and 9mm-caliber ammunition.

In an interview with investigators, Figgs said he was home the night of March 1. Figgs didn’t respond when told his DNA was on one of the casings. Figgs dismissed the photo of him holding the assault rifle, as well as the recovery of .223-caliber ammunition and the tan stock for an assault rifle from his room, asking, “So I’m going down for what? Gun possession?” the complaint says.

Figgs then said he didn’t try to kill anyone, and asked investigators what they wanted, the complaint says. “They told him they wanted to know why it happened — why it was worth it to fire an assault rifle at the deputy over a traffic stop. Figgs said, ‘Why? If you’re going to put me in jail for the rest of my life anyway…’”

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