Police arrest two men for shooting in Newport apartment that left woman in critical condition

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Two men are in custody for a shooting that left a woman hospitalized in Newport, according to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

Justus R. Wright, 37-years-old of Buffalo, and 31-year-old Donald I. Ealey of St. Paul are both charged with first-degree assault, first-degree aggravated robbery, and second-degree firearm assault. They are being held in the Washington County Jail in Stillwater on $400,000 bail.

RELATED: Newport woman in critical condition after apartment shooting

Washington County deputies say they responded to reports of a woman shot and bleeding around 7 a.m. May 14. When they arrived at an apartment in the 1700 block of Eighth Avenue, deputies provided aid to the wounded woman, who was then taken to the hospital for surgery. She survived, but remains at the hospital for serious injuries and is in stable condition, according to the news release from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office.

A man at the apartment told investigators that he was awakened by a knock at the door early that morning. According to the news release, he thought it was a neighbor or someone he knew, so he allowed the two men into the apartment. One was wearing a full facemask, and the other pulled out a large handgun and pressed it to the victim’s head.

The woman then approached the suspects after hearing the commotion, and she was shot once in the abdomen. She then retreated to a bathroom and remained there until deputies arrived to help, the news release notes. The suspects then moved through the apartment and took money, a cell phone, and a BB gun.

According to the news release, the suspects also struck the man with the butt of the gun before they left, and another bullet was found lodged in the ceiling nearby.

Investigators say they identified Wright through surveillance camera footage from the apartment and by speaking with neighboring residents. He was later apprehended with the help of the Wright County Sheriff’s Office at his home in Buffalo that afternoon. Ealey was later arrested after investigators reviewed footage from the Minnesota Department of Transportation to track the suspect vehicle after the shooting.

They are both expected back in court in early June.

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