Prosecutors press murder, assault charges on man suspected of shooting at Ramsey County deputy

Ramsey County prosecutors on Thursday charged a St. Paul man in a shooting this month that left a sheriff’s deputy wounded.

Trevion Figgs, 20, who was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and drive-by shooting, is accused of injuring Deputy Joe Kill with rifle fire during a car chase two weeks ago.

Kill reportedly suffered bruises when debris or shrapnel from two bullets that pierced the deputy’s car struck him in his ballistic vest. He was treated at Region’s Hospital and released the same day.

Figgs’ first court appearance in the case was scheduled for Friday morning.

Prosecutors were considering whether to charge a 17-year-old who surrendered to authorities Wednesday and was booked on suspicion of fleeing police and aiding and abetting Figgs.

“My office has assigned an experienced and dedicated prosecutor to this case who is a part of our non-fatal shooting initiative team,” Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a statement. “We will seek justice to its fullest extent for the victim and our community.”

According to the charges:

The deputy swerved and took cover, reporting that shrapnel had struck near his right collarbone. Neighbors’ surveillance video recorded three to five gunshot noises; officers found the Honda abandoned nearby with two spent rifle casings inside.

A photo from Figgs’ social media account show him wearing a black mask and holding a tan-colored assault rifle similar to the one used to fire at Kill. Investigators’ analysis suggested that Figgs’ DNA marked the Honda’s door handle and the spent rifle casings.

Authorities arrested Figgs on Wednesday morning and searched his home after an anonymous Crime Stoppers tip said Figgs’ mother confirmed that he had fired at Kill. Police found a tan AR-style rifle stock, a handgun and ammo.

Figgs told investigators that he was home with his girl and family the night of the shooting. When asked why his mother would say he shot at Kill, Figgs answered that she may have been drunk.

The suspect was silent when told his DNA was found on spent rifle casings recovered from the shooting. He eventually stated that he didn’t try to kill anyone. When asked why he shot at the deputy over a traffic stop, Figgs responded: “Why? If you’re going to put me in jail for the rest of my life anyway,” before saying he would not admit to something he didn’t do.