Teenager arrested and charged with firearm possession

A 17-year-old St. Paul boy who investigators arrested in connection with a fatal shooting Monday night was charged Friday with possession of a pistol, authorities said.

The teen was charged with one count of felony firearm possession, according to the Ramsey County District Attorney's Office.

Monday, 911 dispatchers received multiple calls about shots fired, a vehicle crash and a person shot, said St. Paul police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster. Police found a Chevrolet Tahoe crashed into a tree on an East Side boulevard in the area of ​​Van Dyke Street and York Avenue. A man in the driver's seat had suffered an apparent gunshot wound to the upper body, Ernster said.

On Friday, St. Paul police identified the man, who was pronounced dead at the scene, as Royce D. McKinney, 22, of St. Paul.

The investigation into the homicide, including surveillance video showing a person matching the teen's description fleeing the scene of the shooting, led authorities to arrest the teen the next morning during a traffic stop , according to court documents.

The teen is “known to officers” who investigated or arrested him in connection with the thefts, according to court documents. The most recent report was the day before the shooting, when someone told police the teen was planning to rob someone with a butcher knife as a weapon.

During his arrest, officers found a Glock 9mm pistol with a magazine lying in a backpack.

The homicide investigation is ongoing, the county attorney's office said Friday.