A 20-year-old St. Cloud man was charged Thursday in connection to an Avon shooting earlier in the week that seriously injured an 18-year-old.
St. Cloud man charged in connection with Avon shooting
The alleged shooter has not yet been charged.
March 10, 2022 at 11:00PM
Grant A. Monaghan faces one count of aiding and abetting first-degree robbery and one count of aiding and abetting second-degree assault, both felonies.
According to the complaint filed in Stearns County, Monaghan agreed to help the alleged shooter find a buyer for a gun in exchange for $100.
Monaghan said he drove the alleged shooter, whom Monaghan identified to police as a 21-year-old man with the nickname "Smurf," to Avon on Tuesday morning. The Star Tribune generally does not name suspects until they have been charged. The Stearns County Sheriff's Office on Thursday said the 21-year-old's whereabouts are unknown.
Monaghan said Smurf shot the 18-year-old buyer in the chest after the man handed Smurf $800, according to the complaint. The wounded man then ran from the vehicle and later was taken by air to North Memorial.
Monaghan told police he and Smurf cleaned out the vehicle and hid it at a family member's house, the complaint said. Officers searched the vehicle and found a bullet path through the shoulder area of the front passenger seat, where Smurf reportedly was sitting during the shooting.
The 18-year-old, who was sitting in the back seat, suffered significant injuries to his upper chest. As of Thursday morning, he was heavily sedated and intubated following "extensive medical intervention" but was in stable condition, according to court records and the Sheriff's Office.
At Monaghan's first court appearance Thursday, a judge denied his request for a public defender. His next hearing is slated for Monday.
Watch some of the best plays from NSPN.tv’s coverage of games from across the state.
