Woman killed in Apple Valley shootout was caught in crossfire between son and former boyfriend

The woman killed in a gunfight Sunday in Apple Valley was caught in the crossfire between her son and a former boyfriend.

Billy Joe Pryor Jr., 25, of Apple Valley, was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree assault and possession of a pistol without a permit, in connection with the shooting that left Michelle McGill dead.

Additional charges are expected to be filed once the investigation is complete, said Dakota County Attorney Kathryn Keena.

Pryor was at his mother's house about 6:25 p.m. Sunday when her former boyfriend showed up to collect personal belongings. The boyfriend previously shared the residence and had been in a long-term relationship with McGill before recently separating, a criminal complaint said.

According to the charges, Pryor backed his SUV into the driveway and told the former boyfriend that he had a gun, and then shot him in the face. At the time, McGill was sitting in a different SUV also parked in the driveway.

The ex-boyfriend, identified as Willie John Selmon II, ran in front of the SUV that McGill was in, "believing Pryor would stop shooting if his mother was between them," the charges said.

But the two men exchanged shots and bullets fatally struck McGill, who was pronounced dead at the scene. McGill suffered 10 gunshot wounds, according to an autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical's Examiners office.

Police arrived on the scene and found McGill lying on the ground by a vehicle and a man running toward a vehicle in the driveway of the residence. That man was identified as Pryor, the charges said.

Pryor suffered a gunshot wound during the exchange, Apple Valley Police Chief Nick Francis said on Monday.

"He admitted to participating in the shooting," Francis said.

Pryor has a prior conviction for possession of a pistol without a permit from 2021, court records show.

"This inexplicable violent behavior of Pryor and Selmon caused the death of Ms. McGill," Keena said. "My deepest sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Ms. McGill for their great loss."