Charges: Best man shot person who crashed Maplewood wedding, confronted groom

Typical best man responsibilities include planning a bachelor party, holding onto rings during the wedding ceremony and raising a toast for the bride and groom during the reception.

One best man is now facing criminal charges after he allegedly added vigilante gunman to the list at a wedding last weekend in Maplewood.

Court records show Stephan Andrew James, 33, of South St. Paul, is accused of shooting a man in both legs after the victim arrived at a wedding uninvited and got into a shouting match with the groom.

RELATED: Man shot in both legs during Maplewood wedding

Wedding drama turns violent

According to a criminal complaint, police first responded to the shooting just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Keller Lake Regional Park. The victim was found bleeding profusely from gunshots to both legs, and bystanders had used belts to fashion tourniquets in an attempt to stanch the bleeding. After receiving aid from officers on scene, medics rushed him to Regions Hospital.

Witnesses told officers the shooter was a man with dreadlocks wearing formal attire. The gunman was seen jumping into a black Dodge SUV and beckoning for a woman and three kids to get in before peeling away from the parking lot.

Police spoke with the groom, who said the shooting victim had shown up without an invitation, approached him, and acted “aggressive” toward him because the groom did not attend a funeral. The groom said the shooting victim shoved him, and the next thing he heard was a gunshot, though he claimed not to have seen who fired the gun.

The wedding photographer told police he saw James get involved in the argument between the groom and the shooting victim. He recalled seeing James shove the shooting victim and hearing two gunshots before the shooting victim fell to the ground and James ran away, the complaint states.

At the hospital, the shooting victim said he was at the wedding to pick up his wife and kids and chose to confront the groom about not attending a funeral or including his kids in the wedding. The shooting victim claimed the groom shoved him but he did not respond. He alleged that James pulled out a gun and said, “We aren’t playing that s—,” before shooting him.

The shooting victim positively identified a photo of James as the gunman.

James arrested

On Wednesday, investigators tracked James’ Dodge SUV to his girlfriend’s house in South St. Paul. A search warrant of the home uncovered black pants and a black dress shirt in a bedroom similar to the gunman’s attire.

Police arrested James the same day after spotting him getting into a car in St. Paul. James had cut his dreadlocks, and a 9mm handgun was found underneath the passenger seat. Three rounds loaded in the gun matched with a round found at the shooting scene.

During questioning, James was evasive. He said he went to the wedding on Saturday and “mumbled” about walking around on University Avenue afterward. He claimed not to remember where the wedding took place, the complaint states. Eventually, James said he didn’t want to talk anymore and invoked his right to an attorney.

“I know I’m not a bad person,” James told officers. “I have never been in stuff like this. I hope you guys understand. If you talked with other people, you should understand I’m not a bad person or aggressor.”

James faces charges of first- and second-degree assault. He appeared for a hearing Friday morning, and a judge set his bail at $250,000. As of Friday afternoon, James remains in custody at the Ramsey County Jail.
The post Charges: Best man shot person who crashed Maplewood wedding, confronted groom first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.