A St. Paul teenager is accused of firing the shot that killed an aspiring rapper in March outside an Inver Grove Heights movie theater.
Trashaun Nij Morris, 17, was charged Tuesday with three counts of murder in the death of 19-year-old Billy Ray Robles, according to documents filed Tuesday in Dakota County District Court.
Robles was killed on March 24 during an exchange of gunfire between rival teenage gang members after they stepped off a party bus in the parking lot of AMC Showplace 16. While two of the teens are known to have fired guns that night, investigators believe it was Morris who fired the fatal shot, the charging documents say.
Two 16-year-olds have already pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the incident. Samson Chu, the other shooter, and Daunte Martin both received suspended sentences in May.
Witnesses told investigators that Morris shot first in the parking lot that night, and that Chu returned fire from less than 20 feet away, according to court documents. Cellphone video suggests Robles was standing near Chu when he was struck in the chest, the charges say.
Bullets and a bullet fragment found lodged in parked vehicles behind where Robles was standing matched the caliber of the gun witnesses say Morris fired that night, according to court documents.
Morris was arrested in Minneapolis in April by the U.S. Marshals Service after spending nearly a month on the run from police.
A motion to try Morris as an adult is pending in juvenile court, according to a news release issued by the Dakota County attorney’s office. Morris was already facing riot and assault charges stemming from the fight.
Robles, a rapper from St. Paul’s West Side, performed in videos under the moniker BillyThaKidd.