Minnesota Felon Indicted for Shooting at Store Clerk
Minneapolis, MN (KROC-AM News)- A Duluth felon has been indicted for a felony firearm violation connected to the shooting of a store clerk in September.
Court documents say 32-year-old Joseph Butler entered a gas station in Duluth and argued with the clerk over change from a purchase Butler made. US Attorney for Minnesota Andrew Luger says Butler then walked behind the counter and punched the clerk.
A struggle then ensued which caused a .45 caliber pistol to fall out of Butler's waistband. Prosecutors say Butler then picked up the firearm, pointed it at the clerk then fired the gun multiple times.
Butler didn’t directly hit the clerk with one of the rounds, however one bullet grazed the clerk and the clerk also suffered powder burns. Butler then fled the store and was arrested at a later time in Bloomington with the same firearm used in the alleged shooting, court records indicate.
Luger says Butler has several felony convictions in Cook County, Illinois, which prohibit him from possessing a firearm. Butler appeared by video in a Duluth court and was formally charged with a count of possessing a firearm as a felon.