A 35-year-old Saint Paul man is facing four felony charges after police say he fired a gun toward two people in an SUV and then barricaded himself inside a Ramsey County home for a tense standoff that ended with pepper balls and his surrender. Marlon Mishall Fountain is charged with two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of illegally possessing a firearm or ammunition after a prior conviction for a crime of violence.
Charges were filed on October 30, according to the case page from mncrime.com, which states that police responded to a Saint Paul address at about 4:47 p.m. the day before, on October 29. As MN Crime reports, officers were initially sent to the home following reports of a neighbor shooting in the air and people fighting outside.
Witnesses Describe Shots Fired Toward SUV
According to the outlet's account, a man and a woman in an SUV told officers that Fountain came out of the house and fired several shots at them. The man reportedly said Fountain pulled out a gun and shot toward them after stepping into an argument, and that he heard four or five shots and felt bullets whiz by. The woman told police Fountain fired from about two feet away and that the rounds passed her.
The woman who lived at the home gave a different account, saying she saw Fountain fire four or five shots into the air but did not see him fire at anyone. A neighbor's Ring camera reportedly captured the sound of a gunshot along with a woman yelling “don't shoot me!” and video from the camera is said to show Fountain arguing with two people and the woman who lived at the home, as well as making threats and pulling out a firearm.
Hours-Long Standoff Ends With Pepper Balls
Per the same account, a family member told police that Fountain threatened a shootout if officers entered the home, and that he said he had turned on the stove gas. Two juveniles reportedly told police that Fountain was inside with a gun and said he would shoot police. The complaint, as described in the report, states that Fountain said he would not come out and was not going to jail.
Police eventually used less-lethal rounds on the front window to air out the unit and deployed pepper balls, after which Fountain surrendered a short time later, the outlet reports. According to the complaint as described in the article, Fountain also threatened to kill, assault and spit on officers during transport and later at the hospital and jail.
Shell Casings Found, But No Gun Recovered
Officers did not find the gun Fountain allegedly used, but they recovered three spent shell casings outside the home and 10 live 9mm rounds inside, according to the report. The case falls under Ramsey County, which encompasses Saint Paul, and felony matters like this one are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul.
The case page notes that criminal charges are allegations and that defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No information on a first court appearance, bail conditions, or an attorney for Fountain was included in the available case materials.
