Wright County Man Charged After Allegedly Shooting a Woman, Pistol Whipping a Man in an Apartment

(KNSI) — Two men are in custody after a shooting earlier this month that left a woman hospitalized.

Prosecutors in Washington County say 31-year-old Donald Ealey of St. Paul and 37-year-old Justus Wright of Buffalo knock on an apartment door in Newport at about 7:00 a.m. Saturday, May 14th. A man answered the door and let the two in, thinking it was someone who lived in the building. A woman came into the living room to see one wearing a face mask and the other with a gun to the man’s head. When she approached the two, one of them allegedly shot her in the abdomen before the two ransacked the apartment and stole money, a phone, and a BB gun. They are also accused of pistol whipping the man and fleeing the scene. The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment and is expected to survive.

Investigators say they identified Wright and Ealey through surveillance footage that showed Wright talking to residents in the building. He was arrested by the Wright County Sheriff’s Department later that day. Ealey was identified after investigators tracked his movements through vehicle information and surveillance footage from the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

Both are charged with first-degree assault, first-degree aggravated robbery, and second-degree assault with a firearm and are due back in court next month.

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