The woman killed in a gunfight Sunday in Apple Valley was caught in the crossfire between her son and a former boyfriend.
Billy Joe Pryor, Jr., 25, of Apple Valley, was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree assault and possession of a pistol without a permit, in connection with the shooting that left Michelle McGill dead.
Additional charges are expected to be filed once the investigation is complete, said Dakota County Attorney Kathryn Keena.
Pryor was at his mother’s house about 6:25 p.m. Sunday when her former boyfriend showed up to collect personal belongings. The boyfriend previously shared the residence and had been in a long-term relationship with McGill before recently separating, a criminal complaint said.
According to the charges, Pryor backed his SUV into the driveway and told the former boyfriend that he had a gun, and then shot him in the face. At the time, McGill was sitting in a different SUV also parked in the driveway.
The ex-boyfriend, identified as Willie John Selmon, II, ran in front of the SUV that McGill was in, “believing Pryor would stop shooting if his mother was between them,” the charges said.
But the two men exchanged shots and bullets fatally struck McGill, who was pronounced dead at the scene. McGill suffered 10 gunshot wounds, according to an autopsy conducted by the Hennepin County Medical’s Examiners office.
Selmon was struck by bullets in the head and jaw, but was able to drive himself to M Health Fairview Ridges Hospital in Burnsville. He was later taken to a different hospital where police took a statement.
Police arrived on the scene and found McGill lying on the ground by a vehicle and a man with dreadlocks and wearing black pants running toward a vehicle in the driveway of the residence. That man was identified as Pryor, the charges said.
Pryor suffered a gunshot wound during the exchange, said Apple Valley Police Chief Nick Francis said on Monday.
“He admitted to participating in the shooting,” Francis said.
Pryor previous criminal history shows a prior conviction for possession of a pistol without a permit from 2021, court records show.
“This inexplicable violent behavior of Pryor and Selmon caused the death of Ms. McGill,” Keena said. “My deepest sympathy is extended to the family and friends of Ms. McGill for their great loss.”
Pryor remained in the Dakota County Jail in lieu of $500,000 bail or $300,000 with conditions. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on July 28.
