Two men charged over terrifying armed robbery at Newport apartment
Two men have been charged with carrying out an armed robbery at a Newport apartment in which they allegedly shot a woman in the abdomen and put a gun to the head of a male resident.
The incident was reported around 7 a.m. on May 14, with police called to a complex on the 1700 block of 8th Avenue, where a woman had been shot and needed surgery for life-threatening injuries.
A man who lives in the same apartment told police he'd been woken to a knock at the door, and opened the door thinking it was a neighbor or someone he knew.
Two men came in, one of whom was wearing a full facemask, and the other of whom pulled a large handgun out which he pressed to the man's head.
The woman then approached the suspects, one of whom shot her. She retreated to the bathroom, while the suspects went through the apartment, gathering money, cellphones, and a BB gun.
They then pistol whipped the man before leaving.
Surveillance footage and evidence from neighboring residents helped identify the first suspect, Justus Wright, 37, of Buffalo, within hours.
The second suspect, Donald Ealey, 31, of St. Paul, was found several days later after he was tracked using MnDOT traffic cameras.
They were charged last week with 1st-degree assault, 1st-degree aggravated robbery, and 2nd-degree firearm assault, and are being held in Stillwater jail on $400,000 bail.
