Shooting suspect pleads not guilty

A former Carlton County resident accused of shooting his sister’s boyfriend in the head at his grandmother’s funeral last fall pleaded not guilty to three felony firearm charges in U.S. District Court last week.

Shelby Gene Boswell, a convicted felon, pleaded not guilty Jan. 2 in Duluth to charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, possession of a firearm in a school zone and discharge of a firearm in a school zone.

According to the criminal complaint, Boswell approached 45-year-old Broderick Boshay Robinson from behind before the funeral service started, then “produced a rifle and fired the rifle at the man’s head.” Robinson was struck in the back of the head but remained conscious, and turned and saw the defendant pointing the rifle at him.

At that point, family members and funeral attendees moved to block Boswell from firing again, disarmed him and took the rifle to an empty locker in a nearby room. Robinson was taken to hospitals in Cloquet and Duluth but was released the same day.

After the alleged shooting last fall, Boswell was initially charged with both first- and second-degree assault and more in Carlton County Sixth District Court, but those charges were dismissed in November and the federal charges were filed instead.

Despite the allegation that Boswell put a gun to a man’s head and pulled the trigger, Carlton County Attorney Lauri Ketola said a review of the investigation did not support a charge of attempted murder. Ketola said the mandatory minimum sentence is greater under the federal system, and sentences must be served consecutively.

A jury trial in the case is scheduled for March 2 at the U.S. District Courthouse in Duluth.