A shooting at a residence in Bradford Township last week led to a male victim with non-life-threatening injuries and the homeowner facing three felony assault charges.
On Nov. 26, at approximately 10 p.m., Isanti County Dispatch received a 911 phone call of gunshots reported from a residence along the 3800 block of 317th Avenue Northwest. Deputies located the car leaving the scene and found a male with a single gunshot wound to his shoulder and he was transported to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids.
During the investigation, it was determined the homeowner of the residence, Gregory Thomas Ramsey, had discharged his firearm and struck the male victim in his shoulder. Isanti County Sheriff Chris Caulk said the victim was released from the hospital a few days after the incident, and has been in contact with his office for follow-up needs.
Ramsey, 46, appeared before Judge James Dehn on Nov. 30 in Isanti County District Court in Cambridge where he was charged with felonies first-degree assault, causing substantial bodily harm; second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon; and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, causing substantial bodily harm.
Bail was set at $80,000 without conditions or $10,000 with conditions and his next court appearance for Dec. 22.
According to the criminal complaint:
The initial report was a passenger car had come into the driveway of the residence and fired several rounds. The dispatcher advised they could hear gunshots while on the telephone with the reporting party.
While responding to the area, Isanti County Deputy Jonathan Vander Vegt observed a car matching the description traveling southbound on Highway 47 near County Road 5.
Vander Vegt noted the right rear taillight was broken out. As he caught up to the vehicle, he observed it cross the center line and fog line of the highway and drive erratically. Vander Vegt initiated a traffic stop. After approaching the vehicle, the driver appeared to be ignoring the deputy’s presence and was busy digging for paperwork. Vander Vegt opened the driver’s side door of the vehicle, and the man immediately said he had been shot. Vander Vegt called for an ambulance and found a single gunshot wound on the upper back of his right shoulder.
Vander Vegt inspected the vehicle and found a bullet hole in the lower front passenger door, a bullet hole where the front passenger door meets the front quarter panel, and a bullet hole on the edge of the front passenger door window. The front passenger side window had been shattered and glass was present on the front passenger-side seat.
Isanti County Sgt. Chad Meyer and Isanti County Deputy Jason Sievert arrived to assist Vander Vegt. Meyer spoke with the man who said that he was “in the wrong driveway,” and he was “going to pick up his girlfriend.” He said “as soon as they started blasting at me, I took off.” The man said he was “just trying to get away, I didn’t want him to kill me.” The officers did not find any weapons, of any kind, in the male victim’s possession.
Upon arrival at the address, Meyer parked at the end of the driveway. He observed pieces of a taillight assembly lying in the snow next to the mailbox at the end of the driveway. Meyer also observed shattered glass at the end of the driveway.
Meyer walked up the driveway and called out to anyone who may have been present outside of the residence. Ramsey responded he had a gun he had shot, and Meyer secured a Model 23 .40-caliber Glock from a holster on Ramsey’s right hip. Ramsey had picked up empty shell casings and produced four expended .40-caliber shell casings from his pocket.
Ramsey told Meyer after watching a hockey game, he went outside and heard a car driving eastbound on 317th Avenue Northwest slam on its brakes just past his driveway and come to a stop.
Ramsey said the car “flew up” the driveway, parked and turned its headlights off. At this point, Thomas went into the house to retrieve his gun. After retrieving his gun, Ramsey went back outside and asked, “Who are you? What are you doing?” Ramsey said he didn’t get a response, so he went back into the house to retrieve a flashlight and told his wife to “call the sheriff.”
Ramsey went back outside and flashed the light on the parked vehicle from the top of the driveway. Ramsey said after flashing the light on the vehicle, it began to drive forward. He said he saw the driver had his left arm out the window.
Ramsey said it looked like the vehicle was coming at him, so he fired one shot, aiming at the windshield. After firing the shot,
Ramsey said the vehicle began backing out of the driveway. Ramsey said he was not sure what the driver was going to do so he moved farther down the driveway and fired three more shots. Ramsey said the car hit the mailbox and left eastbound.
Ramsey said he was not sure if it was someone on meth and this has never happened to him before. He said his daughter was having problems with a past boyfriend and he was just trying to protect his family. Ramsey said he was scared.
Investigators Kevin Carlson and Wayne Seiberlich and Detective Jason Harvey arrived at the address to collect evidence and process the scene. The investigation determined the vehicle pulled over by Vander Vegt was the same car that had been at the residence. It was determined the vehicle entered the driveway at a short distance. The investigators didn’t locate any physical evidence showing the vehicle drove any farther up the driveway toward the residence.
Investigator Rob Bowker interviewed the male victim. The victim said on Nov. 26 he had left a friend’s house in Zimmerman and was going to his girlfriend’s house in Oak Grove. He got lost and pulled his vehicle into an unknown driveway so he could enter his girlfriend’s address into a map application on his cellphone.
The victim said he pulled just inside of the driveway, put his vehicle in park and left his headlights on. While on his cellphone, the next thing he knew was his window was shattered and he was being shot at.
The victim said he immediately backed out of the driveway, but does not remember hitting a mailbox. He said he knew he had been shot because he felt intense pain. The male said he heard approximately five rapid gun shots as he was leaving.
The victim said while he was on his cellphone, he did not hear anyone yelling at him, see anyone or see any lights. He said he did not have a gun and he did not shoot at anyone.