St. Cloud Man Charged After Man Fatally Shot In Head
ST. CLOUD, Minn. (WCCO) - A man faces second-degree aiding and abetting murder charges after another man was fatally shot in the head in St. Cloud in late May.
Paul Ervin Coleman, 52, was arrested on May 26 in St. Cloud. Another 42-year-old man from St. Cloud was arrested on Saturday in Chicago, and awaits extradition back to Minnesota. WCCO-TV does not typically name suspects until they are formally charged.
The shooting happened on the evening of May 24, on the 1200 block of 10th Avenue South. Police arrived at around 7:45 p.m. to find the man lying in the back entryway of the residence with a gunshot wound to his head. He was taken to the St. Cloud Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
He was identified as 38-year-old Michael John Batsche of St. Cloud.
According to the criminal complaint, a motion-sensor camera captured Batsche in the backyard at 7:23 p.m., alone and unharmed.
Then the motion sensors activated again at 7:38 p.m., when Coleman and another man were seen near a detached garage in the back of the residence, where Batsche was found. Coleman allegedly had a handgun in his hand at the time.
Then, the two men are seen running towards the alley towards a tan Chevy Trailblazer, which was registered to Coleman. Coleman appeared to fire at least one round in the direction of the home, and the two men drove away, the complaint states.
Officers found nine cartridge casings on the ground outside the home.
Batsche's girlfriend came home and contacted law enforcement. She told officers that the other suspect was angry at her boyfriend, and they had argued multiple days before the shooting.
Officers found cell phone messages between the two men, in which the two argued over the cost of a firearm, and the suspect asked for the gun back.
St. Cloud officers found Coleman on May 26. He appeared to have consumed narcotics, and was taken to St. Cloud Hospital. After he was cleared, he gave a post-Miranda statement, in which he said he was with the other suspect due to the man's dispute with Batsche, and was with him that day to make sure he was okay. He then said he did not shoot Batsche.
The investigation is ongoing. If Coleman is convicted, he could face up to 40 years in prison.
