Downtown Saint Paul Shooting Probe Leads to Gun Charges
BY MN CRIME STAFF
A Saint Paul man is facing felony firearm charges after illegally possessing multiple handguns following a search warrant tied to a downtown shooting investigation.
Elijah Lazarrick Reed, 25, is charged with four counts of possessing a firearm or ammunition as a person ineligible due to a prior crime of violence conviction.
The charges stem from an investigation in late December 2025 in Ramsey County and each count carries a potential sentence of up to 15 years in prison, a $30,000 fine or both.
According to the criminal complaint, a search warrant was signed Dec. 29, 2025 authorizing law enforcement to search Reed and an apartment near Livingston Avenue & E. Wood Street in Saint Paul. Court records say Reed was a suspect in a downtown Saint Paul rooftop pool party shooting on June 21, 2025, that left three people injured.
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On Dec. 30, 2025, officers monitoring social media observed Reed post a video to his Facebook account. Investigators say the video showed Reed wearing a blue hooded sweatshirt while holding two firearms. Reed pointed both guns toward the camera and allegedly displayed the sides of the handguns. Officers believed the firearms shown were real, the court documents say.
The following day, Wednesday, Dec. 31, officers prepared to execute the warrant and observed Reed leave the Wood Street residence and board a bus. Law enforcement stopped the bus and arrested Reed, though he declined to give a statement.
PREVIOUSLY: 3 Shot During Rooftop Pool Party in Downtown Saint Paul
Officers then searched the apartment with the assistance of a Saint Paul Police K-9 trained in firearm detection. During a search of the northeast bedroom, the K-9 displayed a noticeable change in behavior, rapidly sniffing and wagging its tail while moving between the bed and the closet. An officer looked on the top shelf of the closet and observed a black handgun beneath a pile of folded clothing.
Investigators recovered a Glock handgun equipped with an extended magazine containing ammunition. Several pieces of mail addressed to Reed were located beneath where the Glock was found. Officers then moved the bed and discovered a hole in the box frame. Inside the frame, officers recovered two additional handguns: a Walther PPS and a Beretta. Court records state both firearms had rounds chambered and had been reported stolen in Saint Paul earlier in 2025. Additional loose ammunition was also recovered from the bedroom.
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As a result of the search, Reed was charged with three counts of possessing a firearm and one count of possessing ammunition while prohibited. Each count corresponds to a separate item recovered: the Glock handgun, the Walther handgun, the Beretta handgun and the ammunition.
Reed is legally prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to a prior first-degree burglary conviction in Ramsey County in 2022.
The court documents filed earlier this week say Reed committed the current firearm offenses while on conditional release related to vehicle theft and fleeing charges pending in Ramsey County District Court.
Reed’s criminal history includes multiple burglary and vehicle theft cases. In one case filed in September 2022, Reed was convicted of first-degree burglary after investigators said he entered an occupied Saint Paul residence overnight, stole a purse and credit cards and later used the cards at a gas station. Surveillance video identified Reed making purchases with the stolen cards, and a fingerprint recovered from the residence was matched to Reed’s right thumb. Reed declined to provide a statement to investigators in that case.
In a separate 2022 case, Reed faced multiple charges including burglary, attempted burglary and motor vehicle theft tied to a series of overnight break-ins in the Clinton Avenue area on the West Side of Saint Paul. Court records say residents awoke to find windows forced open, property missing and a vehicle stolen. Surveillance video showed Reed using stolen keys to access a vehicle and attempt entry into a home. In that case, Reed was convicted of motor vehicle theft, with the conviction later deemed a misdemeanor under Minnesota law, while other charges were dismissed.
Records also show Reed was convicted in 2018 of fleeing a police officer on foot, a petty misdemeanor.
In the current case, prosecutors allege Reed knowingly possessed multiple firearms and ammunition despite being legally prohibited. Authorities have not said whether additional charges related to the June 2025 downtown Saint Paul shooting are expected.
