Monday marks a year since mass shooting inside St. Paul bar that killed 1, injured 14 others
ST. PAUL, Minn. – It's been one year since a shooting inside a St. Paul bar killed one and injured 14 others.
Marquisha Wiley, 27, died in the crossfire.
The bar was packed at the time and forced changes to how it and other Seventh Street bars handle security.
"Not something that I would expect in the middle of downtown," said St. Paul resident Kenny Peller.
For many who walk by the Seventh Street Truck Park, memories of October 10, 2021 are hard to suppress. For those who live above the bar, like John Lentsch, the shooting is something they will never forget.
"I woke up about 2 a.m. and there had to have been 20 or 25 squad cars and SWAT team people," Lentsch said. "The gunshots and the screaming mixed in with a dream."
Lentsch says he went to bed early that night, and when he woke to the sounds of sirens, he realized it wasn't a dream. Police and emergency crews were everywhere. Medics reported walking through the bar counting victims, labeling their health as green, yellow or red if critical.
"It was too bad that young girl had to die, and I think there's about 15 people that got hurt from it," he said.
Investigators did track down two suspects and eventually arrested a third for supplying the "ghost gun" used in the shooting.
Terry Brown is charged with murder and attempted murder. Devondre Phillips is charged with attempted murder. And Gabriel Young-Duncan was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for conspiracy to make a false statement in the purchase of firearms.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a lawsuit against the store he believes allowed Young-Duncan to buy several guns and then resell them illegally.
A year later, more police presence has led to a decrease in shots fired in this part of Seventh Street.
"There's a lot more police down here than there used to be," Lentsch said.
Brown has a trial scheduled for January 30, 2023. Phillips' trial date is set for November 21.
