Faribault Man Accused Of Shooting GF's Friend In Hotel Hallway

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - A Faribault man is accused of trying to kill a man after luring him to a Bloomington hotel room.

Police say Matthew Thomas Poncelet, 25, waited until his girlfriend fell asleep and then used her cell phone to text her friend, inviting him to "hang out" in her room at the Best Western.

As was suggested in text messages, the friend came to the Best Western and entered through an open door into Poncelet's dark hotel room.

The friend saw Poncelet's girlfriend lying on the bed and was about to turn on a light when Poncelet punched him.

Poncelet followed the friend as he fled the room and ran down the hotel hallway, according to the criminal complaint.

The friend told police he heard a shouted obscenity and a "pop" noise.

He felt his leg turn cold and then warm and he knew he had been shot. He continued running to his vehicle and drove to Faribault Hospital.

Police found a SIG Sauer .380 handgun hidden beneath the hood of Poncelet's vehicle. A .380 shell casing was found in the hotel hallway.

Poncelet is charged with one-count of attempted second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree assault.

If convicted, he faces up to three years behind bars. He is expected to make his first court appearance on Wednesday.