St. Paul man sentenced to 40 months for straw purchasing guns

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A St. Paul man will spend over three years in prison for his role in straw purchasing guns, including one that was used in the mass shooting at a St. Paul bar last year.

Gabriel Lee Young-Duncan, 28, was sentenced to 40 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release on Tuesday.

He pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to make false statements in the purchase of firearms in May.

Young-Duncan's co-conspirator would buy the guns, state on a federal form that they were the actual buyer, and transfer the gun to Young-Duncan, who would transfer it to another person, court documents said. Together they worked to illegally obtain dozens of firearms, including multiple 9mm semiautomatic pistols.

One of the guns purchased was used in the Seventh Street Truck Park Bar shooting in October of 2021. That shooting left a woman dead and 14 people injured, and two men were charged.