St. Paul: Homicide victim's son jailed in new shooting

Leonard Allen Christian Jr. (Photo from Ramsey County sheriff's office.)

The son of a St. Paul homicide victim has been jailed on suspicion of shooting a man Tuesday, Aug. 21.

A 22-year-old man was shot in front of a house in the 900 block of Marshall Avenue in St. Paul at 10:15 a.m. Tuesday, police said. He was taken to the hospital, where he is "recovering from his critical injuries," police spokesman Howie Padilla said Wednesday.

Leonard Allen Christian Jr., 21, was arrested at 4 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of attempted murder. Prosecutors are reviewing the case for potential charges.

Christian is the son of Leonard Allen Christian Sr., 56, who was fatally shot in the family's home in the 1000 block of Central Avenue on March 30. Damone Presley, the elder Christian's nephew, said he continues to believe his uncle was not the intended target.

Presley said he thinks there was an ongoing dispute, not involving Christian Sr., "that led to this tragic situation."

Police are "exploring what connections there may be" between Tuesday's shooting and the March homicide, Padilla said.

"There obviously appears to be a relationship between people involved in the two incidents and that's what we're exploring," he said.

The Ramsey County attorney's office charged Christian Jr. on April 6, a week to the day after his father was killed, with third-degree violation of controlled substance law and possession of a pistol without a permit.

The complaint gives the following information about that case:

Police were called to Concordia

Avenue and Grotto Street on a report of shots fired Feb. 2. Officers saw a white van had struck two cars in a parking lot in the 700 block of Concordia and there were bullet holes on the van's driver's side.

A witness saw a man get out of the van, walk to the rear of the apartments and stash something. He showed police where the man went and officers found a handgun. The witness then saw the man, and pointed him out to police. Officers identified him as Christian Jr.

Police detained the young man in a squad car and he "complained since he was the one who had been shot at," the complaint said. He said he was parking on Concordia Avenue when he saw another car pull up, and an unknown man wearing a ski mask leaned out a window and shot at him. Christian said he accelerated, ducked and then struck the cars.

Officers arrested Christian on a weapons charge and he was searched at the Ramsey County Jail, where a bag of suspected crack cocaine was found concealed between Christian's buttocks. The St. Paul police crime lab examined the substance, which tested positive for cocaine.

Christian talked to police and denied stashing anything or knowledge of the gun. He said people had been shooting at him since the summer of 2008.

Christian agreed to provided a DNA sample, and on April 4 the results came back from the state crime lab.

"The DNA profile from the gun consisted of a mixture of three or more individuals," the complaint said. "Christian cannot be excluded as a contributor to that mixture, but 99.80 percent of the general population can be excluded."

Police searched the Christian home the day of the shooting in February, believing that Christian Jr., an active member of the Selby Siders gang, fired a gun as part of a feud within the gang, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Presley said his cousin might be associated with the gang, but he does not think he's an active member. He wasn't aware of Christian Jr.'s arrest Tuesday.

Of his uncle, Presley said, "What happened is still a tragedy. It's even more of a tragedy that this case is not solved."

The homicide is an ongoing investigation, Padilla said. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 651-266-5650.

Mara H. Gottfried can be reached at 651-228-5262.

Follow her at twitter.com/MaraGottfried or twitter.com/ppUsualSuspects.

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