2 charged, man paralyzed after car shot 29 times in rural Waseca County

Two people have been charged after a drive-by shooting Tuesday afternoon in rural Waseca County.

William Cornelius Terrel Peavy, 31, and Devonte Bernard Phillips, 26, are charged with first-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault and drive-by shooting. Phillips is also charged with illegal gun possession.

RELATED: Two arrested after reported shooting in Waseca County

Janesville police and Waseca County deputies were called to the area of Main Street and First Street, near Janesville Bank, just after 3 p.m. on reports of shots fired.

There, authorities found a man suffering from a gunshot wound and saying he couldn’t feel his legs. The man was airlifted to a hospital for treatment.

Callers reported seeing a dark-colored, four-door sedan with tinted windows drive away from the scene on Old Highway 14 toward Waseca. A short time later, authorities found a vehicle matching that description on the highway and stopped it.

A criminal complaint states additional officers were called and Peavy and Phillips were then arrested.

Once they were in custody, officers searched the vehicle they were in and found a knife and two handguns, the complaint states.

Witnesses told police that Peavy and Phillips pulled up next to the victim’s vehicle, Phillips fired several shots toward the victim and they then fled. The victim’s vehicle slowly traveled southbound and then came to a stop against a building.

The complaint states that 29 separate bullet impacts were found in the victim’s vehicle. Additionally, casings from the scene matched the typle of one of the guns found in the suspects’ vehicle.

The victim was found to have a bullet lodged in his thoracic vertebrae and is now a permanent paraplegic, according to the complaint. Police didn’t have any update on his condition as of Thursday morning.

Peavy and Phillips remained in custody ahead of a scheduled bail hearing late Thursday morning.