Charges have been dismissed against a man who was accused of shooting a 20-year-old in the face in St. Paul’s North End last year.
Tyrese Alonzo Johnson, 21, of St. Paul, was charged with second-degree attempted murder by drive-by shooting and two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the shooting near Maryland Supermarket and Golden Grill at 444 W. Maryland Ave. on April 6, 2023.
The Ramsey County attorney’s office recently dismissed all the charges, with spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein saying in an emailed statement Monday the shooting was “very violent and traumatic to the victim” and that the prosecutor handling the case “came to the conclusion that the charge cannot be sustained without cooperation and testimony from witnesses and the victim.”
He added, “We hope that by dismissing this case that further investigation can occur and that when the psychological and physical injuries begin to heal and services can be provided to the victim, we will be in a position to move this case forward again.”
Johnson’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
Officers were sent to the shooting around 3 p.m. and found 13 spent casings near a parking lot entrance to Maryland Supermarket and Golden Grill.
Soon after, a 20-year-old drove himself to Regions Hospital in a Chevrolet Impala that had a flat front tire, heavy front-end damage and bullet holes in the front windshield and driver’s side. A bullet had entered one side of the driver’s cheek and exited the other.
A 19-year-old also arrived at the hospital in the Impala. He said he and the 20-year-old went to 444 W. Maryland Ave. together, and he spoke to a cousin he saw leaving the store.
He said he got back in the Chevrolet, felt it accelerate and heard gunshots. He felt the shots come through the windshield and he put his head down to avoid being shot. A bullet grazed the back of his head and hospital staff found a bullet fragment in the hood of his sweatshirt.
Police later found a spent bullet, a scale and two bags of suspected marijuana in the car, along with three bags of suspected marijuana in a backpack the 19-year-old had carried.
Surveillance video from the business showed the Chevrolet backed into a parking spot in front of Golden Grill at 2:24 p.m. A Honda Odyssey arrived in the lot about 2:50 p.m., followed by an Infiniti QX60.
The Honda’s driver walked toward the Chevrolet and, within feet of it, pulled a handgun from a satchel. Meanwhile, a man exited the Infiniti’s passenger side and shot at the Chevrolet as it sped out of the lot. The Infiniti passenger continued to fire at the Chevrolet as it fled on Maryland Avenue. Police identified Johnson as the shooter who arrived in the Infiniti, the complaint said.
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