Minneapolis man charged in St. Paul triple homicide
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A Minneapolis man has been charged in connection to a shooting in St. Paul that left three people dead and two others injured, with a victim telling police the man believed the feds were after him and people were snitching on him.
Antonio Dupree Wright, 41, of Minneapolis, is charged with three counts of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Cory Freeman, 42; Angelica Gonzales, 33; and Maisha Spaulding, 44, on Sept. 4 in St. Paul. He is also charged with three counts of attempted second-degree murder in connection to the same incident.
One of the surviving victims told police Wright was paranoid, believing federal authorities were after him and people were snitching on him, the criminal complaint says.
"This was a senseless and brutal act of violence that will never be acceptable in our community," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement on Friday. "Our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims, and our thanks go out to law enforcement, especially the St. Paul Police Department, who quickly located the person believed to be responsible for this terrible act."
Wright is in custody in Chicago. Once he's extradited back to Minnesota, he'll make his first appearance in Ramsey County District Court.
The charges
According to the criminal complaint, St. Paul police responded to a duplex at 951 Case Ave. at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 4, where they found two victims outside the home. One, identified in the complaint as SA, had gunshot wounds to his forehead and both hands, the other, identified as JC, had a gunshot wound to her left triceps and left foot.
The victims told police there were three people in the duplex who were dead.
In the home, police found Freeman lying face down by the front door. He had several gunshots to his torso and a gunshot to his head. Spaulding was found seated on a couch with a gunshot wound to her head. Gonzales was found in the living room with a gunshot wound to her head. They were all pronounced dead at the scene.
Police found a Glock under a futon, a black extended gun magazine and an unspent round in the living room area, charges said.
JC told police she was in the back bedroom when she heard a man come into the house. She heard talking, but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She then heard a gunshot and dove to the floor to hide. She said she heard 10-15 gunshots, but didn't see the shooter.
SA told police the man who shot him is named Antonio, and he considers him a close friend who is also a heroin dealer with ties to the Vice Lords gang and Chicago. Antonio, who also goes by the name Figg and was later identified as Antonio Wright, had been paranoid lately, suspecting federal authorities were tracking him and people were snitching on him, SA told police, according to court documents.
SA said he was at his friend's house when Wright pulled up on a motorbike. Wright walked through the back door and shot Spaulding in the head, charges allege. He then shot his girlfriend, Gonzales, killing her. And then Wright shot Spaulding's boyfriend, Freeman, as he tried running away. Wright then pointed the gun at SA, who put both hands over his head to shield himself. Wright shot him three times before walking into the back bedroom and shooting JC. Wright then walked out the backdoor and rode off on a motorbike.
SA told police he knows Wright very well and is sure Wright was the shooter, the complaint says. He suspects Wright thinks they were snitching on him, noting Wright only shot people who knew his identity. He added that he owes Wright $500 for heroic, but he didn't think Wright would shoot them all for $500.
Charges state SA identified Wright in a photo lineup.
Another person in the home, identified as CS, told police he was sitting next to his girlfriend, Spaulding, when Wright walked in, the complaint says. He wasn't sure who he was and asked, and that's when Wright started shooting. He crawled under the couch and hid.
According to charges, Wright has a phone number associated with him that put him in Chicago. Wright has eight prior felony convictions, including burglary, assault, armed robbery, and drug possession crimes.