A 21-year-old man has pleaded guilty to second-degree assault after opening fire on a vehicle carrying two teenagers during a marijuana deal that went sideways in Duluth Township last year, wounding one of them in the foot. Evan Edblom was 19 at the time of the January 21, 2025, shooting near the 6200 block of Berquist Road, and he now awaits sentencing more than a year and a half later.
According to WDIO, Edblom had arranged to buy marijuana at the location but showed up wearing a mask and carrying a gun, saying something about grabbing money before the encounter turned violent. As the vehicle carrying two people began to drive away, Edblom shot at it multiple times, the station reports.
One of the two people inside was struck in the foot. The victim went to the hospital, required stitches, and sustained a fracture to a bone in their toe, per the same account. Court documents cited by WDIO indicate Edblom told investigators he did not see anyone in the vehicle with a weapon and said he was not threatened during the transaction.
Teen Victims Named in Earlier Charging Report
Details from the days after the shooting, reported by Northern News Now, described the vehicle's occupants as a 19-year-old woman and her 17-year-old boyfriend. That outlet reported Edblom fired at the truck approximately 10 times, with one round striking the female victim's foot.
The exact number of shots fired has not been confirmed by WDIO, which reported only that Edblom shot at the vehicle multiple times as it drove off. Northern News Now's approximate count of 10 shots comes from its own reporting closer to the time Edblom was originally charged.
Assault Charge Carries Up to a Decade Behind Bars
Edblom's guilty plea was entered to second-degree assault, a Minnesota charge that, under state law, can carry up to 10 years in prison, a fine of as much as $20,000, or both when the offense involves a dangerous weapon and substantial bodily harm. The statute's penalties are discretionary, and nothing in the record establishes what sentence Edblom will actually receive.
He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 15, 2027, according to WDIO's report. Second-degree assault pleas tied to shootings have surfaced elsewhere in Minnesota this year as well; in Rochester, a man separately pleaded guilty to the same charge in connection with a 2025 drive-by shooting, according to KIMT.
