Jerome Horton, 25, Federally Charged With Buying Firearm Used In St. Paul Bar Shootings

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A 25-year-old man is now federally charged in connection with the St. Paul bar shootings that injured 15 and killed 27-year-old Marquisha Wiley earlier this month.

The shootings happened early Sunday, Oct. 10 at the Seventh Street Truck Park bar in downtown St. Paul, near Xcel Energy Center. Local prosecutors have already charged 33-year-old Terry Brown with murder in Wiley's death. He's also charged with several counts of attempted murder.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Jerome Fletcher Horton straw purchased the firearm used in the incident. The complaint says that a review of sales reports in the Twin Cities area reveals that Horton has purchased at least 33 firearms from June 15 through Oct. 17.

"As recent tragedies have shown, illegal guns on the street make our communities less safe for everyone," Acting U.S. Attorney W. Anders Folk said. "Stopping straw purchasers from putting guns in the hands of violent felons is a priority for my office and for the Department of Justice."

Horton has been charged with making false statements during the purchase of a firearm

As far as Brown is concerned, court records show that he should never have had a gun in the first place. He was convicted in 2018 of violating a no-contact order. That is a felony, and he is still barred from possessing a weapon. Brown was also convicted of two misdemeanors after that felony conviction. Later in 2018, he was convicted of giving a false name to officers during a traffic stop. And in September 2020, he was convicted of DWI.

Devondre Phillips, 29, also faces attempted murder charges.