Woodbury: Police search for suspect wanted in connection to drive-by shooting

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Aug. 4—The Woodbury Public Safety Department is asking for the public's help in finding a man who was involved in a fatal drive-by shooting at a graduation party in June.

Enrique Davilla, 23, St. Paul, is wanted in connection to the June 5 shooting that killed 14-year-old Demaris Hobbs-Ekdahl. He has been charged via a warrant with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and four counts of aiding and abetting second-degree assault.

"We can't seem to find him," Cmdr. John Altman said Tuesday. "We would love to bring some sense of closure to the victim's family by bringing Enrique in."

Wanted posters featuring Davilla are being distributed around establishments on St. Paul's East Side and on social media, Altman said.

Another suspect, Jaden Lavan Townsend, 19, turned himself in on charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

According to court records, at 10 p.m. June 5, Keith Dawson, 35, of St. Paul, got a call from his stepson, Demaris, who said he was being threatened by two men at a graduation party. Dawson met his stepson at a nearby auto dealership, and they drove in separate cars back to the graduation party on Edgewood Drive.

Dawson allegedly fired a handgun from his SUV toward Townsend and Davila, who were standing by an SUV.

The two men allegedly returned the fire, and one bullet hit Hobbs-Ekdahl in the back, killing him. Police said bullets sprayed around the area, hitting houses and cars, and terrifying the roughly 35 people at the party.

Dawson, who has a previous felony conviction for another drive-by shooting, is facing felony charges for drive-by shooting, possessing a gun, and two counts of assault.

Anyone will information about Davila is asked to call Woodbury police at 651-714-3600, or Crime Stoppers of Minnesota at 1-800-222-8477.