2 charged in St. Paul bar shootings that left 1 dead, 14 wounded

Police behind crime scene tape.
Investigators process the scene of a multiple shooting at the Truck Park bar in St. Paul on Sunday.
Renee Jones Schneider | Star Tribune

Two men were charged Monday in connection with a mass shooting at a St. Paul bar that left one innocent patron dead and 14 others wounded early Sunday morning.

Terry Lorenzo Brown, 33, was charged with one count of intentional second-degree murder in the killing of Marquisha D. Wiley, 27, of St. Paul. Brown was also charged with 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder.

Devondre Trevon Phillips, 29, faces 12 counts of attempted second-degree murder.

The criminal charges against Brown and Phillips say a dispute over a woman broke out as they were standing at the Truck Park bar and video cameras recorded the scene.

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The complaint says a companion of Brown approached Phillips, who shot him in the stomach.

St. Paul council member Rebecca Noecker discusses Sunday's mass shooting

As Phillips tried to leave, he fired at Brown, as well, who returned fire. Both of them fell wounded to the floor and continued to shoot at each among the patrons still in the bar, a half dozen of them suffering wounds to the legs and ankles.

The complaint says one of Brown's bullets hit Wiley in the heart as she lay on the floor of the bar, apparently shielding her companions from the gunfire. Her family told KARE 11 she was a loving young woman who had worked for years caring for animals as a veterinary technician.

The spasm of violence Sunday left what a police spokesperson described as a "hellish" scene outside the Truck Park bar on West Seventh Street, near the Xcel Energy Center, with victims inside the building and out on the street.

Police block off a shooting scene
St. Paul police blocked off West Seventh Street, a block from the Xcel Energy Center, after a shooting early Sunday.
Tim Nelson | MPR News

“What should have been a night to remember with music and dancing on a warm October evening, turned into a terrifying tragedy no one will ever forget, especially those who were injured in the crossfire,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement announcing the charges.

Authorities had said previously they’d arrested a third man, but there were no charges posted on him as of Monday afternoon. MPR News typically does not name suspects until they are charged. Brown and Phillips suffered broken legs in the shooting and remain hospitalized.

Elected officials including St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and Gov. Tim Walz condemned the shooting and vowed to bring the victims justice.

St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell on level of gun violence in St. Paul
by Tim Nelson | MPR News

St. Paul police data shows 195 people wounded by gunfire so far in the city in 2021, compared to 167 during the same time in 2020, a 17 percent increase.

Editor’s note: This story was originally published at 9:25 a.m. on Monday and was updated throughout the day.