Five charged in connection with shooting at EC gas station
Dec. 3—EAU CLAIRE — Five area residents face a total of 23 criminal charges in connection with a shooting last spring near the parking lot of an Eau Claire gas station.
Charges have been filed in Eau Claire County Court against Tommie R. Crayton, 37, and Christy J. Kahl, 46, both of 717 Forest St., Ramon V. Mitchell, 37, 863 Kari Drive, Daenil T. Montgomery, 25, of Stanley, and Taylor A. Simpson, 32, 609 Irvine St., Chippewa Falls.
The charges include felony counts of substantial battery, second-degree recklessly endangering safety, injury by negligent use of a dangerous weapon, possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, maintaining a drug trafficking place, possession of a firearm by a felon, and misdemeanor counts of battery, possession of cocaine, disorderly conduct, bail jumping, carrying a concealed knife and possession of marijuana.
Kahl will make her initial court appearance on Dec. 20. Initial court appearances for the other four defendants have yet to be scheduled.
According to the criminal complaint:
Eau Claire police were sent to HSHS Sacred Heart Hospital at 8:30 p.m. on May 12 after medical staff reported that a man came to the emergency room with a gunshot wound to his right arm.
A woman who brought the man to the hospital told police she and the man had gone to the Kwik Trip on Brackett Avenue to get gas in her vehicle. After they got gas, they pulled out of the parking lot and stopped at the stop sign to turn onto Brackett Avenue.
A silver sedan coming from South Hastings Way then stopped in front of their vehicle, blocking them in. The woman said a female got out of the driver's seat of the silver sedan and came to her and started yelling at her and punching her in the face.
A male also exited the sedan and got into an altercation with the man.
The woman said she heard a loud bang and soon realized the man had been shot in the arm.
The man told police that at least four people were involved in the incident and he identified them as Simpson, Kahl, Mitchell and Crayton. The man said Simpson is the mother of his children.
Medical staff told police the bullet went entirely through the man's forearm but missed bone and the major arteries. The man also had a gash on the left side of his head that required staples.
The bullet was eventually found inside the woman's backpack that was inside her vehicle at the time of the incident.
An investigation showed the incident started with an argument between Simpson and the man. The other occupants of the silver sedan then got involved in the altercation.
The man said he knew he was hit in the head with a gun, but he never saw the weapon. The man said he believed Mitchell was the shooter.
Mitchell admitted to a police detective that he was the shooter but would not comment on how the events took place. Mitchell later recanted his statement and denied having a gun during the incident.
Kahl told police she saw Mitchell with a gun during the incident.
Simpson told police that all she wanted was for the man to get beaten up. She said if she wanted to do something more than that, she wouldn't have done it in broad daylight.
