BB Gun Shootings - Not Lethal!

We've had a couple of shooting incidents here in MN recently that involved BB guns; thankfully, they weren't fatal.  They do however illustrate the less lethal capacity of the BB gun compared to other firearms.

 From the Mankato Dept of Public Safety:

Mankato Department of Public Safety police officers responded to the report of a 19-year-old, Mankato male shot in the head by a bb gun around 6:45 p.m., November 18, as he walked back from his mailboxes in the Southhaven Mobile Home Park.
The victim looked up and saw three dark skinned males getting in a Chevy Impala (estimated to be a 2002-2006 model). The vehicle had an unknown license plate. The victim filed the report on November 21 and described one suspect wearing a red sweatshirt and blue jeans. The suspect was holding the handgun believed to be the bb gun used in this incident. The victim did not know who the suspects were.
The injury was not serious or life threatening and the bb was removed in the emergency room.

and from the Hopkins, MN Patch:

Prosecutors Charge Homeless Man in Walgreens Robberies

Vincent Mark Smith told police 'he was desperate to sell the drugs for money.'

• By James Warden

   

Photos (1)

Pdfs (3)

 

Hennepin County prosecutors on Tuesday charged a homeless Minneapolis man in connection with the Nov. 20 robbery of a Blake Road Walgreens pharmacy and the robbery of two more Walgreens in Minneapolis, said Chuck Laszewski, a Hennepin County Attorney’s Office spokesman.
Vincent Mark Smith, 25, faces one count of first-degree aggravated robbery and one count of second-degree aggravated robbery related to the Hopkins incident. He also has been charged with:

• Two counts of simple robbery,
• One more count of first-degree aggravated robbery and
• One more count of second-degree aggravated robbery.

In all, Smith is suspected of involvement in three robberies that took place Nov. 18, Nov. 20 and Nov. 23. Smith told police he robbed the first store “because he was desperate to sell the drugs for money,” according to charging documents.
Minneapolis Police arrested Smith on Saturday after a Walgreens clerk at the 5415 Lyndale Ave. S. location told officers someone matching the description of the person in the previous robberies had entered the store, Minneapolis Officer Frederick McDonald wrote in charging documents.
Officers arrived to find Smith wearing the same jacket and backpack as the suspect in the Nov. 23 robbery.
The spate of Walgreens robberies arrived in Hopkins on Nov. 20. An unidentified pharmacist at the Blake Road store told police a man approached the counter, displayed a charcoal-colored pistol and demanded Percocet and Xanax, Hopkins Officer Erik Husevold wrote in the charging documents. After the pharmacist gave the robber a bottle of Percocet and two bottles of Xanax, the suspect told her to relax, wished her a nice day and left the store.
Husevold interviewed Smith after the suspect’s arrest. The suspect told the officer he robbed the Blake Road Walgreens with a BB gun.
Three Walgreens employees who spoke to the suspect in the Nov. 18 robbery also identified Smith in a photo lineup.
First-degree aggravated robbery carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a $35,000 fine. Second-degree aggravated robbery carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a $30,000 fine.
Smith is being held on $200,000 bail. He's scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 21.