Charges: Man kidnapped ex-girlfriend, pointed gun at St. Anthony officer

A St. Anthony man is charged with multiple felonies for allegedly kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and trying to kill her before pointing his gun at a St. Anthony police officer.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Devion Maurice Richardson, 31, Wednesday with kidnapping, second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault on a police officer. He remains booked in the Ramsey County Jail and his next court appearance is Friday.

According to charging documents:

St. Anthony police reported to an anonymous call on June 10 that a woman was screaming for help at 3201 Diamond 8 Terrace. The woman was talking with Richardson in a courtyard at around 11:45 a.m. when officers approached and asked what was going on. Police say Richardson stood and pulled a black handgun from his waistband.

He pointed the gun at the woman’s head and pulled the trigger. Officers heard the gun click, but no bullet fired. She crouched and moved from Richardson, who then pointed his gun at one of the officers. The officer then pointed his own gun at Richardson and told him to drop the weapon. Richardson tossed the gun towards a bench and fled, but was found and arrested.

The .380 handgun was recovered with rounds in its magazine, but none in its firing chamber.

Investigators interviewed the woman, who revealed that she and Richardson dated for around three months. She said their relationship ended when Richardson assaulted her on May 26, but he approached her on June 10 in the underground parking garage of her apartment.

“I thought of this a million times,” he told her, according to charging documents. “I put it on safety mode. This isn’t going to end well for us.” The woman pleaded with Richardson, telling him she is a single mother who wants to live. “Richardson told [the woman] he didn’t care,” those documents read. ”His life was over – and it was going to end for them both.”

The woman said Richardson forced her to drive to Diamond Eight Terrace where he planned to kill her and himself. As they drove, she said Richardson kept the gun out and told her its safety is off. At one point, he allegedly put their heads together and resting the gun against his head before telling her that is how they would “go out.”

At the apartment she ran to a woman staying with Richardson’s friend, and told her that Richardson was going to kill her with a gun. Richardson was left outside the apartment, asking repeatedly to be let in.

The woman said Richardson tried to get her into his vehicle as she left his apartment, but she sat on the courtyard bench assuming that he would not kill her while a woman and kids were nearby. Richardson stopped her from calling 911, but police arrived in around 20 minutes.

Richardson told police that he was suicidal and that, “I wanted to shoot myself. I didn’t want to shoot you guys.”