Woman sentenced to 15 years for shooting that injured 10-year-old child on New Year’s Eve

A woman will spend time in prison for her role in a drive-by shooting on New Year’s Eve in St. Paul that left a boy with life-threatening injuries.

In April, a jury found 29-year-old Kelci Marie Meyers guilty of aiding and abetting attempted second-degree murder, aiding and abetting first-degree assault and aiding and abetting drive-by shooting.

During Monday’s sentencing hearing, Judge Kellie Charles ordered Meyers to serve more than 15 years in prison, saying she failed to show any remorse. She will be eligible for parole after about 10 years.

A criminal complaint states that on the night of the shooting, Meyers and her boyfriend, Morris Ryan, drove past the home near the intersection of Sherburne Avenue and Avon Street at least twice before Ryan opened fire on the home. Investigators found 10 bullet holes in a window, and 14 gunshots were audible on surveillance video that captured the shooting.

A 10-year-old boy inside the house was hit multiple times, and bullets punctured his bladder, small intestine, rectum and bowel, leaving him with life-threatening injuries. He did survive.

While Meyers didn’t pull the trigger, Charles told her she was an “active participant” in the attack because “there’s no connection to [the address] without you.” Meyers used to live next door and told police someone she lived with at the time didn’t get along with the victim’s mother. She didn’t provide any further explanation for why they targeted the home.

Charles emphasized that Meyers was familiar with the family, which included three children, and that the lights were on in the kitchen that night. Meyers should have reasonably known someone was inside, the judge said.

“Your actions on this night showed a callous and reckless disregard for human life,” Charles said.

A jury trial for Ryan, the co-defendant in the case, is set to begin on July 11. Ryan faces charges of attempted second-degree murder, aiding and abetting first-degree assault and aiding and abetting a drive-by shooting of an occupied residence.