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Man convicted in St. Paul assault rifle killing

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Oct 18, 2011 at 8:01 am

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - A Ramsey County jury has convicted a man accused of using an AK-47 assault rifle to gun down another man leaving a St. Paul house party.

Jurors found Aaron Morrow guilty of first-degree murder in the Sept. 26, 2010, fatal shooting of 21-year-old Joe Anthony Rivera.

Morrow also was convicted of attempted first-degree murder for shooting at two other men during the attack. Rivera's nephew, David Chavez, was wounded in the hip.

Chavez told police that he and Rivera had been at a party where a friend of Morrow accused Chavez of stealing his cellphone. Chavez said when he and Rivera left the party, Morrow approached them with an AK-47 and opened fire.

Police found the cellphone on the floor of the room where the party had been.

Morrow will be sentenced Tuesday.