CHARGES: 'Vice Lords' Member Shot 5 in Saint Paul, Arrested in Chicago
Officers on scene of a triple-fatal shooting Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022 on the 900 block of Case Ave. E. in Saint Paul. MN CRIME PHOTO
The Minneapolis man accused of shooting five people and killing three of them in Saint Paul earlier this month has been charged by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office with three counts of 2nd-degree intentional murder and three counts of attempted 2nd-degree intentional murder.
Antonio Dupree Wright, 41, was taken into custody in Chicago on Wednesday, Sept. 7 and is currently awaiting extradition to Minnesota.
PREVIOUSLY: 3 Dead, 2 Injured in Saint Paul Shooting
Saint Paul police were initially called to the 900 block of Case Ave. E. in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood around 4:30 p.m on Sunday, Sept. 4.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner identified the three people fatally shot as Angelica M. Gonzales, 33, Cory U. Freeman, 42, and Maisha M. Spaulding, 44, all of Saint Paul. The medical examiner reported all three suffered fatal gunshot wounds and ruled their manner of death as homicide.
According to the criminal complaint, arriving police officers found two gunshot victims outside the residence that Sunday afternoon.
One victim had wounds to their hands and forehead, while the second victim suffered gunshot wounds to the foot and upper arm. The victims were able to tell police that there were additional victims inside the home, and the three deceased victims were found by officers a short time later.
Officers found no signs of life on any of the three gunshot victims and medics pronounced them dead at 4:47 p.m. Officers found a black extended magazine and an unspent round in the living room area, and a tan Glock was recovered beneath a futon, charges say. Officers found a blood trail leading from the three victims inside to where the two victims were located outside.
One of the victims outside told police that Wright is a heroin dealer with ties to the Vice Lords gang and that Wright has been “paranoid” lately, suspecting that the feds were tracking him and that people were “snitching” on him, according to the complaint.
The victim also told police that Wright arrived at the home on a motorbike before walking through the back door of the house and opening fire on the occupants inside.
Another witness told investigators that a black male wearing a gray ski mask, gray jacket, and dark pants came in the back of the home and stood in the living room doorway. The mask hung down and the man pulled it up to conceal more of his face. The witness asked who the man was and and another person said the man was “D.” The masked man said “Who’s D?” and allegedly took out a gun and started shooting.
Officers on scene of a triple-fatal shooting Sunday, Sept. 4, 2022 on the 900 block of Case Ave. E. in Saint Paul. MN CRIME PHOTO
The witness felt bullets “whiz” past him, he “hit the deck” and crawled under a couch. The shooter then allegedly climbed on top of the couch and shot through it. He walked into a bedroom, unleashed more bullets and then fled on the motorbike after the shooting.
Another witness reported hearing 10-15 gunshots during the incident.
One victim believed Wright suspected that they were “snitching” on him and that’s why he shot them, the documents said. He said he owed Wright $500 for heroin, but he didn't think that Wright “would do all this for that,” referencing the shooting.
The criminal complaint said that Wright is also charged with kidnapping and attempted murder from an incident just two days before the triple-homicide.
In that case, Wright allegedly put a gun to a man’s head that he thought had snitched on him after the man overheard Wright discussing a murder, the complaint said. Wright then shot the man four times as he tried to flee from the vehicle he was forced into.
Wright has eight prior felony convictions for drugs, burglary, assault, two armed robberies and aggravated fleeing police. His initial appearance on the new charges has not yet been set.
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PREVIOUSLY: 3 Dead, 2 Injured in Saint Paul Shooting
