Details on shooting emerge; Esko man is charged

The case of an injured Wrenshall man found trying to flag down cars April 10 on northbound Interstate 35 between Midway Road and the Proctor exit turns out to be related to a drug deal that never transpired, the criminal complaint states.

The alleged shooter in the case is Esko resident Austin James Webster, 39, who appeared in St. Louis County Sixth District Court Friday, April 15, charged with second-

degree assault and felon in possession of a firearm.

Webster, who has several drug-related convictions in the past 12 years, including four as felonies, was charged with felony counts of second-degree assault and possession of a firearm by a felon.

The victim had bullet wounds from a .45 caliber handgun in both of his legs, the police report says. He was treated for his injuries at a hospital and released. While at first being reluctant to tell police what happened, he eventually identified Webster and a second person who was in the car.

The complaints state that Webster and a woman picked up the victim in a parking lot off Midway Road. They drove to a gravel road off Thompson Hill Road, allegedly to wait for another person in a drug deal. The victim grew impatient, the complaint said, and exited the car. Much of what happened next is in dispute, according to the three people involved. The victim ended up getting shot and the bear spray hit all three. The victim then ran, got over a fence, and limped to the interstate that Sunday afternoon where responders eventually picked him up.

Police located bullet casings, a bullet and a phone in the area where the struggle took place. The cellphone led to Webster and the woman. There was contact discovered between the found phone and the victim’s phone.

A search of the area, along with eyewitness accounts, led to the discovery of the car involved near Spirit Mountain Campground. Webster and the woman were seen in the car that was being driven erratically. They were also seen using snow to alleviate the sting of the spray in their eyes. The car apparently got stuck and the couple received a ride out of the area by another person.

A search of the car and the surroundings turned up a gun case and drug paraphernalia used in a camping area, the complaint states. The woman, in a police interview, showed police where she had tossed the gun off West Skyline Parkway.

Webster was arrested April 12, about 48 hours after the shooting is said to have occurred.

He remains in St. Louis County jail awaiting another court date May 10. Other people involved in the case haven’t been charged but the county attorney’s office is reviewing it.