Man who fatally shot man in driveway pleads guilty to second-degree murder

A Dodge Center man pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Wednesday.

William Isaac Shillingford, 33, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder in exchange for 261 months in prison and the dismissal of the other two charges, according to court documents.

Shillingford was initially charged with two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree assault in May 2022 for fatally shooting a man.

On May 8, 2022, around 10:45 p.m., Olmsted County deputies were called to a residence in rural Kalmar Township for a report of a shooting. The 911 caller said a man had pulled into the driveway and shot the caller’s father after he went out to investigate, according to a criminal complaint.

The victim had been shot in the arm and was bleeding heavily when law enforcement arrived. Emergency responders provided aid to the man, but he died a short time later, the complaint states.

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Outdoor security camera footage showed a Toyota Tacoma circling the driveway of the residence before parking. Shillingford can be seen walking near the garage holding a handgun, the complaint states.

The victim and the caller are seen on surveillance video walking from the front of the house toward the detached garage while Shillingford “racks” the handgun, assumes a shooting stance, and raises the weapon.

The complaint states the video shows Shillingford firing three rounds from three different shooting positions.

As law enforcement officials searched for Shillingford, two witnesses told a deputy that they were driving when they saw a man tip-toeing across a field before lying down in a ditch, according to the complaint.

Officers with the Rochester Police Department detained Shillingford at a nearby home they saw him run into. As he was being arrested, Shillingford was belligerent and yelling out random names.

Law enforcement officials found a wallet with a card bearing Shillingford’s name in the Toyota Tacoma. A handgun and an empty magazine were found at a nearby barn, court documents said.

Shillingford is due back in court for sentencing on Jan. 8 at 1:30 p.m.