Three men motivated by a gang rivalry participated in the fatal shooting of a man and wounding of a woman in St. Paul earlier this month, court documents say.
The criminal complaint against one suspect, Miklos Dates, was unsealed recently after he was arrested. The complaints against his co-defendants — Jawan Mitchell, 18, and Carlos Dillard, 19 — remain sealed until they can be arrested.
Dates, 23, of St. Paul, was charged Dec. 12 in Ramsey County District Court with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting attempted second-degree murder.
The charges against Dates allege that Mitchell was the gunman who shot into a car on Dec. 9., killing Taishawn T. Smith.
A woman who was in the car with Smith pleaded with the gunman, yelling, "I'm pregnant! I'm pregnant!" She was shot in both legs and survived. Smith's attackers may have mistaken Smith as the woman's boyfriend, who is a rival gang member, the charges said. A second woman in the car was uninjured.
According to the charges against Dates: Smith, 19, was driving the two women home when they stopped at the New Hope Market, 1132 Payne Av., about 9 p.m.
The two women went into the store and returned to see that another car had parked in front of their car. One of the women mentioned that the "op," or, opposing gang, was at the scene.
The woman who was shot later told police that Mitchell called Smith by her boyfriend's nickname, prompting Smith to pull a hood off his head and correct Mitchell.
