Man Pleads Guilty in Shooting That Injured Ramsey Deputy

Apr 21

A Saint Paul man accused of opening fire on a Ramsey County deputy during a pursuit earlier this year has pleaded guilty to first-degree assault.

Trevion Armand Figgs, 20, entered the plea last week in Ramsey County District Court, admitting he was the masked passenger who leaned out of a fleeing Honda Accord and fired multiple rifle rounds at Ramsey County Deputy Joe Kill late March 1, 2024.

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Figgs was originally charged with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault using deadly force against a peace officer, and drive-by shooting toward an occupied vehicle. The charges stemmed from a high-speed chase that began after officers attempted to stop the Honda for erratic driving on the city’s East Side.

Investigators say the pursuit was picked up by Deputy Kill after the vehicle fled from Saint Paul officers. As the chase continued on Euclid Street, Figgs, seated in the front passenger seat, fired a tan-colored assault rifle toward the squad from just 25 to 30 yards away. Bullet fragments struck the deputy near his collarbone. His ballistic vest had a visible scuff mark consistent with impact, and he was later treated at Regions Hospital for minor injuries.

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The Honda was later found abandoned behind a residence on Pacific Street. Two spent .223 rifle casings were recovered inside. Additional casings were found in the roadway where the deputy had come under fire. DNA analysis linked Figgs to those casings, as well as to the car’s door handle and a rifle stock recovered from his bedroom during a March 13 search warrant. A Snapchat photo, sent to Figgs by a co-defendant months earlier, showed him holding a tan rifle matching the description of the weapon used in the shooting.

Law enforcement also intercepted jail calls between Figgs and a juvenile contact where they used coded language to reference the rifle. Police later recovered the weapon—a tan M4-style rifle etched with the initials “LLM,” believed to stand for “Long Live Marleisha,” Figgs’ late sister. Ballistics confirmed it was the same gun used in the March 1 shooting.

During a post-arrest interview, Figgs initially denied involvement and attempted to discredit evidence. When confronted with DNA results and video footage, he acknowledged the seriousness of the situation and asked investigators if they would “cut him a deal” in exchange for helping solve other violent crimes.

At the time of the March shooting, Figgs was also facing a separate attempted murder case involving a June 2023 incident where he allegedly fired 27 shots in a public area. He also has a prior conviction for possessing a firearm without a serial number.

“There’s a thin line between good and evil, and it’s time we get back to respecting those who stand on that line, at the request of society, to keep us safe,” Fletcher said. “That starts with swift and stiff consequences for the people pulling the triggers. We can find them, and we can arrest them. But if we can't hold them accountable, we’ll continue to see more of the same: chaos.”

A sentencing date has not yet been set.

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