Woodbury graduation party shooting: Last defendant sentenced
Enrique Davila was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a fatal shooting at a Woodbury graduation party. (FOX 9)
WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Washington County Attorney's Office announced on Friday sentencing details of the last defendant involved in the Woodbury graduation party shooting, which resulted in the death of a 14-year-old boy in 2021.
After pleading guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree unintentional murder and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in February, 26-year-old Enrique Davila has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, with 946 days credit for time already served.
Authorities reported that Davila, Jaden Townsend, and Xavier Hudson engaged in an altercation with 14-year-old Demaris Nathan Hobbs-Ekdahl and his brother during a graduation party on Edgewood Road in Woodbury on June 5, 2021. The siblings left the party and contacted their stepfather, Keith Dawson. Dawson later arrived in the neighborhood and opened fire on the group involved in the altercation with the brothers.
Davila and Hudson fired shots back, and Hobbs-Ekdahl was hit and later died from his injuries, court records said.
Dawson pled guilty to drive-by shooting in January 2023 and is serving a seven-year prison sentence. Hudson was found guilty of aiding and abetting second-degree murder in September 2023 and was sentenced to 37 years in prison. Townsend pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree assault in June 2022, and was sentenced to three years in prison.
"The shootout at a graduation party that resulted in the murder of 14-year-old Demaris shocked and saddened our community. Today’s sentencing marks the end of a three-year process to achieve justice for Damaris," said Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson in a statement. "I am grateful to the prosecution team and our law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly to hold all three codefendants accountable for their crimes. Although no amount of prison time can replace the tragic loss of life, it should be clear to all that we are fully committed to bringing criminals like Enrique Davila, Xavier Hudson, and Jaden Townsend to justice."
Davila will also have to pay over $16,000 in restitution.