Man handed 10-year prison sentence for role in fatal Apple Valley shootout

Krystal Frasier KSTP

Willie John Selmon II (Dakota County Jail)

Court records show a man charged with having a role in a fatal shooting back in the summer of 2022 will be serving time in prison.

41-year-old Willie John Selmon II was sentenced Monday by Judge Timothy McManus to spend 120 months (10 years) in the St. Cloud prison for one count of second-degree murder. One count of second-degree intentional murder was dismissed.

Selmon was previously charged with second-degree assault and reckless discharge of a gun. However, those charges were later amended.

Judge McManus allowed Selmon to receive 146 days of credit for time already spent behind bars.

Selmon, as well as 27-year-old Billy Joe Pryor Jr., were each charged for the death of 49-year-old Michelle McGill, who was found dead in a driveway next to a vehicle on July 10, 2022, around 6:30 p.m.

According to court documents, Selmon told police that he and McGill were in a long-term relationship but had recently separated. The two had previously shared the residence in Apple Valley, and he went back to the home to retrieve some personal belongings.

McGill and Pryor, her son, were parked in separate vehicles in the driveway. When Selmon returned to his car, Pryor pulled up next to him and fired shots at Selmon.

After being shot, Selmon ran to the front of McGill’s vehicle, where the two exchanged gunfire, and McGill was hit by ten bullets, according to court records. Pryor shot Selmon in the face during the confrontation.

Selmon then ran in front of McGill’s car in hopes that Pryor would stop shooting in fear of hitting his mother. According to court officials, Pryor went to the passenger side of the car and kept shooting before running away.

Selmon ran after him and the two continued to shoot at each other. Bullet holes were found in a nearby home, which was occupied at the time of the shooting.

As of this publishing, Pryor has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for next March.