Charges: St. Paul man died in shootout between gang members in marijuana deal

A St. Paul man was killed in the city's Summit-University neighborhood last week when a marijuana deal between gang members turned into a shootout, according to charges filed Monday.

Wilbert Harris-McCalister, 19, was riding in a car with two people when an apparent marijuana dealer allegedly fired at them, killing Harris-McCalister about 9:10 a.m. on Avon Street near Carroll Avenue.

Authorities allege that two of the men with Harris-McCalister, Kalon Harvey-Brown and a juvenile identified only by the initials "JAM," planned to rob the marijuana dealer, so the dealer, identified only as "NB," fired at them first.

Harvey-Brown, 22, of St. Paul, was charged Monday in Ramsey County District Court with aggravated first-degree robbery, illegal possession of a firearm and illegal possession of ammunition.

According to the charges: Harvey-Brown and the juvenile approached the dealer's car and Harvey-Brown got into the front passenger seat. Harvey-Brown pointed a gun at the dealer, took a bag containing about 14 grams of marijuana from him and removed the keys from the ignition and threw them out of the car.

The juvenile pointed a gun at the dealer, who was in the driver's seat. They stood on either side of the dealer as they ordered him to pop his trunk from outside.

"If he reaches — blast him," one of them allegedly said.

The dealer pulled a handgun from his pocket and fired at Harvey-Brown. The juvenile fired a gun at the dealer, the charges said.

The dealer told police he saw Harris-McCalister in the back seat of the car and shot him because he thought Harris-McCalister was reaching for a gun.

Harris-McCalister got out of the car and collapsed in the street, where he was later pronounced dead.

The dealer ran home. A witness told police that a driver later identified as the juvenile fled in a car, but got out and moved Harris-McCalister's body from his path before leaving.

Harvey-Brown was at the scene when police and medics arrived, and allegedly told police that the juvenile demanded "everything" from the dealer, and that he was unaware of any robbery plans. He told police he tried to carry Harris-McCalister's body to the car and yelled for him to stop, but the juvenile fled.

The alleged dealer turned himself into police and said that two men pulled guns on him, so he fired his gun. There is no case under review against the dealer, but Sgt. Mike Ernster, a police spokesman, said the case remains under investigation.

Harris-McCalister died of two gunshot wounds to his back.