Man Charged After Shooting Guest in Both Legs at Maplewood Wedding

Oct 3

A South Saint Paul man has been charged in connection with a shooting at a wedding in Maplewood that left a 36-year-old man with gunshot wounds to both legs.

According to a criminal complaint filed Friday in Ramsey County, 33-year-old Stephan Andrew James is charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Prosecutors say James opened fire at Keller Lake Regional Park on Sept. 27, where a wedding reception was underway.

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Officers were called just after 5:30 p.m. and found the victim lying in the parking lot with heavy bleeding from both legs. Bystanders had used belts to slow the bleeding until officers arrived and applied tourniquets. The man was transported to Regions Hospital after he lost significant amounts of blood.

PREVIOUSLY: Man Shot in Legs During Maplewood Park Wedding

Witnesses told investigators the victim had walked off with the groom to speak privately before the confrontation. Several witnesses, including the victim’s 7-year-old daughter, described James as the shooter. They said he approached the men during their argument, pulled out a handgun and fired. One witness recalled James yelling before running through the parking lot and leaving in a Dodge Durango with a woman and children.

Investigators later connected James to a gray 2013 Dodge Durango with Minnesota license plates SCS951. The SUV was located in a South Saint Paul garage during a search warrant on Oct. 1. Officers also recovered clothing matching witness descriptions.

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That same day, officers conducting surveillance in Saint Paul saw James enter a vehicle. He had cut off his dreadlocks, according to the complaint. Officers arrested him shortly after and recovered a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun from beneath the seat where James had been sitting. Three of the rounds inside the gun matched the Hornady headstamp found on a casing recovered near the shooting scene.

In an interview, James admitted attending the wedding but claimed he could not recall details of the location or events. He stopped speaking after invoking his right to an attorney.

James has a prior conviction for possession of a pistol without a permit. He is currently being held on $250,000 bail in the Ramsey County Jail with an intial court appearance scheduled for Friday afternoon. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison on the first-degree assault charge and up to seven years on the second-degree assault charge.

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