Murder charges: Milwaukee man killed amid St. Paul wedding celebrations

Ramsey County authorities have charged an Oklahoma resident for allegedly shooting a man dead last October.

Jason Moua, 43, was charged this week with second-degree intentional murder and second-degree unintentional murder. Moua is suspected of shooting 36-year-old Khoua Yang of Wisconsin on Oct. 1, leaving him dead on the 2100 block of Scenic Place on St. Paul's East side.

Officers responded around 2:10 that morning to a caller who reported hearing a gunshot. They said a man was on the ground, and reported a dark sedan speeding from the area.

Yang was found facedown with a trail of blood leading to him. He had no breath or pulse, and officers noted a gunshot wound to his chest. He was pronounced dead at the scene minutes later.

Investigators found a white shirt at the scene, as well as a cellphone and bullet casings which were stamped "Gold Dot." A search warrant revealed that the phone belonged to Moua.

Charging documents say Moua was in town that week for his niece's wedding. He called his son and niece asking about firearms he left at their home, explaining that he needs protection while in town.

"Moua did not want to go around naked without a gun ... [he] appeared desperate to obtain a firearm," the documents read.

Yang traveled to the wedding with two others from Wisconsin. Surveillance footage from the Dog House Bar & Grill in Maplewood recorded Yang, Moua and three others leaving the bar in a black SUV about a half hour before Yang was killed.

Investigators searched the niece's home and found a box of "Gold Dot" 9mm ammo matching the casings left near Yang's body. Moua's niece said she was holding on to a firearm after the family was threatened at her grandfather's funeral last February. She said that she gave the gun to Moua on Sept. 30, but is unsure if he left town with it.

Another man interviewed by Milwaukee police said they were in a group with Yang and Moua the night of the shooting. They said the group went to some local bars before Moua and Yang began fighting in the SUV as they left Dog House Bar & Grill. They pulled over near Scenic Place and the brawl spilled onto the street. Others in the group tried to intervene. That's when the man said Moua tried to pistol whip Yang, leading to a scuffle where a witness in the group heard a gunshot.

They said Yang tried to stand up but Moua shot him, causing Yang to fall to the ground.

Moua allegedly pointed the gun at the group and ordered them back into the SUV, threatening to kill them if they snitched about Yang's death. Moua then forced one of the men to call 911 before saying that he would return to Locust Grove, Okla.

The two men who traveled with Yang fled to Wisconsin, explaining they were afraid that Moua would kill them.

Moua was previously convicted of armed robbery, second-degree assault with a firearm, and aiding an offender who was suspected of first-degree murder. Moua's next court appearance is scheduled for February 15.