Man found guilty of 6 charges filed against him for New Year’s Eve shooting that left boy injured

Krystal Frasier KSTP

Ryan Morris

A jury has found a man guilty of six charges filed against him following a shooting that left a 10-year-old injured on New Year’s Eve.

Court documents show 27-year-old Morris Robert Chie Ryan was found guilty on Tuesday of one count of attempted second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, one count of assault by use of a dangerous weapon and three counts of second-degree assault by use of a dangerous weapon.

Ryan’s sentencing has been set for Oct. 11.

Ryan, as well as Kelci Marie Meyers, were each charged for having roles in the shooting, which happened at a home located along Sherburne Avenue near North Avon Street at 11:56 p.m. There, officers said they found a boy who had been shot in the stomach, and he was taken to the hospital, where he was in critical condition. Although the shots were fired from outside the home, police believed they were targeted.

As reported last month by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, Meyers was sentenced last month to serve more than 15 years in prison. However, she’ll be eligible for parole after roughly 10 years.

According to the charging documents, the gunshot punctured the boy’s bladder, small intestine, rectum and bowel, leaving him with possibly life-threatening injuries. However, he did survive.

Criminal complaints state that the boy’s mother was in the kitchen, making a video to celebrate the new year while her son was playing with Legos when the shots were fired through a kitchen window. The woman added that she heard a man in the alley say, “F*** y’all, m*****f******.”

Officers found seven spent 9 mm casings in the alley behind the home and 10 bullet holes in the window of the home. In reviewing surveillance video, they saw a dark-colored SUV circle the alley twice before the shooting, then pause for about 13 seconds before driving off at the time of the shooting. 14 gunshots were also audible on the video.

Investigators were able to determine that the SUV was registered to Ryan and saw that it had stopped at a nearby Speedway right after the shooting. Ryan and Meyers were seen getting out of the vehicle, and Meyers’ EBT card was used inside to buy drinks, according to court documents.

Officers later got a search warrant for the SUV and Meyers’ address and found clothing that matched what they were seen wearing right at the Speedway right after the shooting. Additionally, seven total guns were found in the home, two of which were 9 mm.

As for motive, the boy’s mother said she thought it was an old neighbor who she described as a “nuisance,” adding that he moved out but continued to return to cause trouble and threaten them.

While Ryan didn’t talk to investigators, Meyers said the neighbor described by the boy’s mother was her ex’s cousin, adding that he didn’t get along with the boy’s family. However, she claimed she hadn’t talked to the man since he moved out of the home and was taking Ryan’s mother to the airport on New Year’s Eve, the complaint states. Investigators then showed her the pictures of her at the Speedway right after the shooting and pressed her about it, but she only replied that she “didn’t know what to say.”