St. Paul man sentenced for straw purchasing scheme tied to Truck Park bar shooting

By KSTP

A St. Paul man was sentenced Wednesday to more than three years in federal prison for his role in a straw purchasing scheme that was linked to the Truck Park bar shooting last year.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says 28-year-old Gabriel Lee Young-Duncan was sentenced to 40 months in prison, which will be followed by three years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty this spring to conspiring to make false statements to buy guns.

Prosecutors say between May 11, 2021, and Oct. 17, 2021, Young-Duncan conspired to buy multiple guns, including one that was used in the Truck Park bar shooting on Oct. 10, 2021. He and another person worked together to illegally get guns by making false statements to firearm sellers at Fleet Farm stores around the Twin Cities metro.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday his office has filed a lawsuit against Fleet Farm, accusing the company of “aiding and abetting straw purchasers.”

The attorney’s office says his co-conspirator would buy the guns, then give them to Young-Duncan, who kept them or gave them to others.

Officials say the duo worked together to get dozens of guns, including four Glock semiautomatic pistols and two Mossberg semiautomatic pistols.