Ramsey County prosecutors have charged three men who have gang ties with witness tampering -- and one of them already faces murder charges in a different case.
The charges stem from the dismissal of a shooting case more than a month ago in which witnesses stopped cooperating with prosecutors.
Joseph Haywood Campbell, Antonio Freeman and Kewan Percy Smith, all 20 years old and of St. Paul, have been charged with allegedly tampering with a witness on Oct. 5 for the benefit of the East Side Boyz gang.
They're also charged with first-degree witness tampering by aiding another to use force or threats of injury to prevent or dissuade a person who was to become a witness testifying in a trial or other legal proceeding. A third count charges them with third-degree rioting for the benefit of a gang.
The suspect who benefited from the tampering is 18-year-old Casey Jermar Davis of St. Paul. He was 17 when he allegedly shot and wounded a 19-year-old man just before midnight on May 18 in St. Paul at a party that allegedly included members of the East Side Boyz and their rivals.
Officers had been called to the 600 block of Virginia Street, where they found the 19-year-old lying on a table and bleeding profusely from multiple gunshot wounds. One bullet had sliced through the femoral vein in his leg, and he'd also been shot in both hands. He was taken to Regions Hospital in critical condition.
Two witnesses identified Davis as the man who took out a gun and fired repeatedly. Another witness told police Davis bragged about the shooting.
After he was charged, Davis and his attorney were given witnesses' names and the trio's alleged intimidation took place.
