A Saint Paul man shot another man in the face during a drug deal gone wrong, then fired multiple times at a vehicle as it sped away, according to newly filed charges.

Allen Nghia Vo, 29, faces three felony charges: drive-by shooting toward an occupied motor vehicle, 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and 2nd-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon.

According to the criminal complaint, police received several 911 calls about gunshots in Saint Paul on the morning of December 10, 2025. Officers were flagged down by the victim, who had a gunshot wound above his eye. The victim told police he had purchased marijuana and was walking when an Asian male offered him a ride in a GMC Envoy for $20. The driver pulled over, tried to rob the victim and shot him in the face as the victim tried to flee.

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Officers found blood in the snow at the scene and recovered a 9mm spent casing. A witness working nearby reported hearing multiple gunshots and saw a man with black hair and a dark jacket crouching behind a silver SUV with a firearm before getting into the vehicle and leaving. Surveillance video showed a GMC Envoy and a black Chevrolet Blazer arriving shortly before the shooting and leaving immediately after. Investigators observed a man with dark hair crouching near the GMC Envoy holding a gun.

Police traced the GMC Envoy’s license plate to Allen Nghia Vo and the Chevrolet Blazer to another man who had called 911. Cellphone records showed that Vo, the Blazer’s driver and the victim had all been in contact before the shooting, and cell site data placed their phones in the area at the time.

During questioning, Vo denied any involvement in the drug transaction or shooting. The driver of the Blazer told police he and the victim had gone to buy marijuana from Vo. The victim sat in the passenger seat and Vo sat in the back. The driver said the victim tried to rob Vo, who then got out and fired at the Blazer. The driver said he ran away after seeing Vo with a gun and heard four shots. He said the victim had a firearm but never saw him display it.

The victim later told police he was selling drugs that morning and denied trying to rob Vo. He said Vo pulled out a gun and started shooting at him, and denied having a gun or firing back.

Police later searched the Chevrolet Blazer and found broken glass and damage consistent with a bullet fired from outside toward the front passenger area. The 9mm casing recovered at the scene was linked by NIBIN testing to a prior incident involving Vo’s family in the same area.

The complaint notes that Vo received a stay of adjudication in 2020 for gross misdemeanor possession of a BB gun in a public place. He also has pending charges for 5th-degree controlled substance crime and possession of a firearm without a permit.

The charges were filed Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court. A court date has not yet been set.

About This Charge

Minnesota classifies assault by degree under § 609.221 (first), § 609.222 (second), § 609.223 (third), § 609.2231 (fourth) and § 609.224 (fifth). First-degree assault, alleging great bodily harm, carries up to 20 years in prison. The lower degrees range from gross-misdemeanor up to 10-year felony exposure depending on weapon use and harm.

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Jurisdictional Context

Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.