Alleged Park Towers shooter’s guilty plea accepted

By KAALTV

Alleged Park Towers shooter’s guilty plea accepted

The latest local, regional and national news events of the day are presented by the ABC 6 News Team, along with updated sports, weather and traffic.

(ABC 6 News) – Olmsted County Court accepted Robin Helmueller’s guilty plea Friday, April 12.

The former Park Towers resident accused of shooting his apartment manager pleaded guilty to one of two 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon charges.

Helmueller’s sentencing is scheduled for June 5.

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Alleged Park Towers shooter enters guilty plea

The day's local, regional and national news, detailed events and late-breaking stories are presented by the ABC 6 News Team, along with the latest sports, weather updates including the extended forecast.

(ABC 6 News) – A former Park Towers resident accused of shooting his apartment manager entered a petition to plead guilty to one of two 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon charges.

Robin Helmueller, 61, is scheduled to appear for a plea hearing April 12.

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(ABC 6 News) – Rochester police confirmed Monday that 61-year-old Robin Helmueller is accused of shooting his apartment manager Friday.

Law enforcement responded to Park Towers at 22 Broadway Avenue North around 11 a.m. Friday.

According to court documents filed Monday, Helmueller faces two charges of 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon after allegedly shooting one woman in the arm and hitting another woman with the firearm itself.

According to Capt. Casey Moilanen, Helmueller had suspected a neighbor of stealing things from him, and damaged the neighbor’s door Thursday night in an attempt to enter the other apartment.

The manager called Helmueller to her office to tell him he was responsible for the replacement lock cost.

That’s when Helmueller allegedly pulled a black powder revolver — the type used in the Civil War, Moilanen said — out of his backpack and shot her in the left arm.

According to Moilanen, Helmueller tried to shoot the woman again, but the gun did not go off.

Two other staffers entered the office and held Helmueller down until Olmsted County deputies, then police arrived to take him into custody.

According to court documents, Helmueller struck one of the staffers with the revolver while she was trying to get the gun away from him.

The manager’s injury was not life-threatening, Moilanen said.

Helmueller’s bail was set at $1,000,000 Monday. He is scheduled to appear in Olmsted County Court again Nov. 14.