Man charged after shooting, standoff at Rice and Larpenteur in St. Paul

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A man was charged after he shot an unknown man at a gas station in St. Paul and then got into a standoff with police.

Kirk Jones, 30, was charged with second-degree assault and illegal possession of a firearm or ammunition in connection with Friday’s incident at the intersection of Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue.

According to the charges, St. Paul police responded to a shots fired call in the area and located a man who had been shot in the wrist.

The victim told police he had been pumping gas at a nearby gas station when a man, later identified as jones, approached and began shooting at him. The victim fled the gas station in his van. He said he did not know Jones and had no idea why he was shooting at him.

Officers located Jones walking in the area. When they approached him, he pulled a 9mm handgun out if his pocket, threatening to shoot himself. He was reportedly refusing commands and said he would kill himself rather than go back to jail or the hospital.

Police evacuated businesses in the area and warned the public to stay away. After a standoff that involved crisis negotiators and SWAT, Jones surrendered.

Jones told police he was depressed and had no taken his medication for a week. He claimed he saw the victim doing a lewd act and it disgusted him so "I fired my weapon," the charges say. He said he did not intend to kill the victim; he just wanted him to stop what he was doing.