2 Teens Charged In Deadly Inver Grove Heights Party Bus Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two teenage boys have been charged in connection to the deadly shooting involving a party bus in Inver Grove Heights.
On Wednesday, Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom announced a 17-year-old boy of an unknown address and a 16-year-old St. Paul boy are charged with first-degree riot and second-degree assault in connection to the March 24 incident.
Billy Ray Robles, 19, of St. Paul was shot and killed in the incident.
The incident happened last Friday as Robles was on a crowded party bus with about 40 other people to celebrate a friend's birthday. Investigators determined that there was a dispute between two groups of teens and young men on the bus before a fight started that eventually led to shots being fired.
Authorities responded to the incident at about 1:32 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the AMC theatre at 5567 Bishop Avenue. Officers arrived to a chaotic scene as a party bus was dropping off 40 to 50 people.
Officers located Robles, who was unresponsive with a gunshot wound. Police also located a juvenile male who had been assaulted and suffered from facial injuries. Robles was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital. A second juvenile suffered a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
The two defendants were identified by witnesses as shooting guns during the incident.
Backstrom says the investigation is ongoing and the goal is to identify all individuals involved – and who fired the fatal shot. Additional charges are also possible.
"This is another example of the senseless and tragic loss of life from gun violence in our community. It is extremely disturbing to see juveniles possessing and using firearms in this manner," Backstrom said.
Backstrom also thanked the Inver Grove Heights Police for their investigation into the incident.