Glenville man charged for firing rifle, injuring man who tried to steal truck

[anvplayer video=”5059765″ station=”998128″]

(ABC 6 News) – A Glenville man is facing felony charges after an incident involving a stolen truck left another man wounded in rural Freeborn County.

38-year-old James Joseph Vinton is facing 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers the safety of another.

According to the complaint, deputies were called to 11800 block of 800th Ave in Freeborn County on September 26, for a report that someone was in the process of stealing a truck.

When deputies arrived, they found a man with wounds in his upper back sitting on the ground next to the vehicle. The victim who has been identified as Andre Tyree Williams, admitted to stealing the truck and said he had been shot.

He was taken to the Albert Lea Medical Center and eventually flown to St. Mary’s hospital in Rochester and is expected to make a full recovery.

Vinton told detectives he could see his blue pickup being driven out of the farmyard, past the arena on his property. He told his wife to call 911 and he grabbed his .243 rifle out of the bedroom closet.

The complaint said he said the vehicle had been driving through fences and eventually got free and driving west along the north side of the pasture he said he fired one shot over the pickup in hopes of scaring them.

Vinton said he fired a second-round from his rifle as the pickup turned left to head north on 800th Avenue.

The complaint said he thought he was shooting at the rear driver’s tire to get the vehicle to stop. The vehicle continued driving on 800th Avenue and eventually got stuck. Vinton said that the victim was asking for help and that he had been shot.

Law enforcement has not requested charges against Williams at this point. The investigation is still under investigation.

Vinton is scheduled to be in court on October 7.