Charges filed against suspect in Bloomington shooting, pursuit

Charges have been filed against a suspect in connection to a shooting in Bloomington and a high-speed chase that ended in Wisconsin on Friday.

Jacob Daniel McPheeters, 28, is charged with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a firearm by an ineligible person.

According to a criminal complaint, Bloomington police responded to a shooting outside the Days Inn hotel on Normandale Boulevard at about 3:15 a.m. Friday. An employee told officers he was outside when he heard a gunshot from the north end of the parking lot, where several people were gathered around a camper. The employee said people were yelling and it appeared one person had been shot because she was leaning on another person. They all then got into vehicles and left the area.

Suspect in Bloomington shooting arrested after high-speed, multi-state pursuit

Officers went to the trailer and found a pool of blood on the ground outside. As they were investigating, officers learned a woman suffering from a gunshot wound was taken to Fairview Southdale. The complaint states the officer went to talk to the woman, who said her boyfriend, identified as McPheeters, had shot her after they’d gotten into an argument.

The complaint says doctors indicated the bullet entered the victim’s torso, broke several ribs, struck part of her lungs and broke more ribs as it exited her torso. She was taken to the Intensive Care Unit in critical condition.

Officers also spoke with two witnesses, a man and a woman, who were staying in the camper that night and said they were friends with McPheeters and the victim. They told police McPheeters and the victim were already arguing when they arrived and the victim was crying. McPheeters allegedly told them he was upset because he was going to prison on pending drug charges in Wisconsin and couldn’t trust the victim.

The witnesses then said McPheeters came into their camper holding a semi-automatic handgun and started grabbing the victim before pointing the gun at her. He then tried to drag her out of the camper and, at one point, put the gun in his pocket and began choking the victim, the complaint states. One of the witnesses then took the gun from McPheeters and put it in their car, but said he may have taken it back at some point.

Moments later, McPheeters went to his car and came back with a revolver, walked up to the victim and shot her in the torso from point-blank range. He then yelled at the victim and told her to get in his car, and the witnesses said they told him to take the victim to the hospital. McPheeters and the victim then left in his vehicle, and the witnesses said he may have fled to Wisconsin. They said they also believed McPheeters had pipe bombs in his vehicle.

The complaint states investigators used McPheeters’ cellphone to locate him. The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office said it was alerted just before 4:50 a.m. about a police pursuit on eastbound Interstate 94 that was heading toward the Wisconsin border. When the pursuit entered Wisconsin, the sheriff’s office joined and speeds reached 120 mph at times, according to the sheriff’s office.

Eventually, McPheeters’ vehicle stopped and he fled into a cornfield.

He was later taken into custody.

The complaint states officers found a semi-automatic handgun, a .44 caliber revolver and what appeared to be three pipe bombs inside his vehicle.

He was being held in Wisconsin on pending charges.