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Crime, Law and Justice
Brandt Williams

St. Paul police: Murder suspects had permits to carry guns

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The Ramsey County Attorney's office has charged two men with murder in connection with two separate fatal shootings in St. Paul on May 1. 

The first killing happened at an east St. Paul gas station Friday evening around 9:15 p.m. Prosecutors say 22-year-old TS'John Reed of Minneapolis got into a fight with Darius Van, 28, inside the station's convenience store. Reed told police he had a permit to carry a firearm and said he fired at Van in self defense, fearing that he was going to grab one of his guns. 

According to the complaint, both men escalated the situation, even after Reed pulled out two handguns. A witness told police he heard Van say to Reed, “You think you’re tough because you have two guns? Why don’t you drop the guns and take it outside?”

A store employee told police he heard Reed say that he would shoot everyone in the store. According to the complaint, the employee said he also had a permit to carry and said he would have fired at Reed if he had a clear shot.

Some 15 minutes later, prosecutors say a fender bender on Interstate-94 ended in the shooting death of 39-year-old Douglas Lewis.

Prosecutors charged 24-year-old Anthony Trifiletti of Watertown, Minn., with murder for the death of Lewis. According to the charges, Trifiletti and Lewis took an exit onto Burns Avenue after the collision.

According to a witness the two men first squared off like they were going to fight, before Trifiletti went back to his vehicle to grab a gun. Police say Trifiletti had a permit to carry a handgun and he told investigators that he fired three to four times because he saw Lewis reaching his hand into his shirt like he was going to pull out a gun.. 

Police say they found no gun on Lewis. 

The Friday killings are the eighth and ninth in the city so far this year. Last year at this time, 10 people had been killed in St Paul. 

According to the state’s department of public safety, more than 300,000 Minnesotans currently have valid permits to carry handguns. Law enforcement officials say a small fraction of permit holders are charged with offenses each year. In 2019, more than 600 permit holders were charged with driving under the influence. None were charged with murder.