St. Cloud Man Charged After Allegedly Firing Shots During a New Year’s Eve House Party

(KNSI) — The man accused of firing a gun inside a house during a New Year’s Eve party has been charged.

According to the criminal complaint, police were called to the home on the 2200 block of Clearwater Road in St. Cloud around 11:55 p.m. for a report of a gunshot. When they arrived, they found a girl outside in her pajamas who appeared to be having a panic attack. She was so distraught at one point that she got sick and told police she couldn’t go back into the house because people were arguing and she was afraid of her dad.

Investigators say several people were trying to leave the party, and witnesses told them before the police were called, William White sprayed partygoers with champagne, which caused a fight to break out. During the argument, White went to a back bedroom and retrieved a handgun. Several people were wrestling him to the ground when he fired twice. That’s when people started grabbing their kids and taking off. Kids also jumped out of windows on the second floor, trying to escape.

During a search of the house, they allegedly found a bullet hole in the ceiling, a bullet hole in the headboard of a bed, two casings, and a black Springfield XD9 .9mm, which was stolen out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Police also say White smelled strongly of alcohol.

White has numerous convictions on his record, including assault, domestic assault and drug violations, which means he is not allowed to have a gun. He is facing new charges of being a felon in possession of a gun and reckless discharge of a firearm.

Prosecutors have filed to seek an aggravated sentence due to his past convictions, saying he’s a danger to public safety.

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