2 charged in connection to deadly shooting outside St. Paul bar
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Two people have been charged in connection to the shooting death of a man outside a St. Paul bar in October.
Charging documents accuse the bartender at Born's Bar on Rice Street of setting up the man — identified as 42-year-old Oscar Lee Covington — to be robbed. Covington, who died nearly a month after he was shot, told police that he had roughly $4,500 of cash on him at the time.
Documents say Covington arrived at the bar around 3:45 p.m. on Oct. 30. He ordered from the bartender, who he said was "overpouring" his drinks.
Around 4 p.m., documents say the bartender called her son's father. The father then spoke to three people on the phone, including his son.
Surveillance video from the bar shows Covington in the back patio, drinking, smoking and using his virtual reality goggles. The bartender's son and a man and a pink sweatshirt arrived at the bar around 4:25 p.m, but left shortly after and brought the bartender's car closer to the bar.
The father and another man were "posted up" on the sidewalk outside the bar, documents say, keeping watch through the windows.
Covington left the bar at 5:42 p.m., documents say. The father started walking with him, and when they reached Covington's car, began to physically assault him, charges state. Two people produced handguns during the fight, and the son picked up money that had fallen to the ground.
One of the men then shot Covington through the torso, and everyone involved in the robbery scattered, documents say. First responders arrived shortly after, and Covington was taken to the hospital. Police recovered several items from the scene including a Glock handgun magazine, two live .40 caliber rounds of ammunition, a spent .40 caliber casing, an iPhone and a flip phone. Later at the hospital, police found a wallet with a driver's license belonging to the father.
The bartender was arrested on Nov. 21. She told police that Covington and her son's father had gotten into a fight at some point, because Covington had called the father a snitch. She denied being involved in the incident.
She was charged with aiding an offender and will make her first court appearance on Friday. Her son's father was charged with first-degree riot and two counts of aggravated robbery.
Covington went into cardiac arrest two days after the shooting and died on Nov. 26.
