The suspect in the shooting of a teenage boy on the Fond du Lac Reservation is reportedly on the run with his mother Thursday, according to Star Tribune.
Joseph J. Peterson, 16, was fatally shot in the head and left dead in the back of a pickup truck on the Reservation early Monday, Star Tribune reported.
Three suspects were being investigated by St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office before the County Attorney’s Office officially charged Joseph H. Fohrenkam, 18, according to Star Tribune. Fohrenkam has been charged with second-degree manslaughter, per Star Tribune.
Witnesses told law enforcement five people were in the vehicle drinking alcohol at the time of the shooting, according to Duluth News Tribune. One witness, Trae Shabaiash, said Fohrenkam was sitting in the driver’s seat outside of his home, per Star Tribune. Shabaiash said a noteworthy amount of alcohol was being consumed, according to Star Tribune. (RELATED: Navajo Woman Leads Voters To Polling Locations On Horseback Posse)
Fohrenkam was displaying his pistol and waving it around before allegedly pointing it at Peterson who was sitting in the back, per Star Tribune. While pulling the gun back to the front, Shabaiash said he may have accidentally hit his arm, causing the gun to go off, according to Star Tribune.
Fohrenkam is currently on the run, reportedly alongside his mother, Littlefawn Fohrenkam, 38, according to Star Tribune.