DULUTH โ A 17-year-old from Proctor, Minn., has been arrested on murder charges after the death of a 22-year-old Saturday night, May 22, in Duluth.
Patrick Wilson Battees Jr. made an initial appearance in juvenile court Monday, May 24, on a charge of intentional second-degree murder in the city's first homicide of 2021 . The 22-year-old victim still has not been identified by Duluth police, though court documents list his initials as J.K.A.
According to the juvenile delinquency petition:
Police were called just after 7 p.m. to the 100 block of East Third Street, where they found J.K.A. with a single gunshot wound to the head. He was taken to Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center and pronounced dead.
Officers obtained surveillance video showing a fight prior to the shooting. Police say Battees could be seen raising a gun and firing into the crowd, with J.K.A. in his sight line. The victim could be seen falling to the ground, with Battees firing off another round before leaving.
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Under Minnesota law, it is presumed a juvenile will be certified as an adult if the juvenile was 16 or 17 at the time of the offense and if the offense would result in a presumptive prison sentence. The child can keep the case in juvenile court and overcome the presumption of adult certification by demonstrating clear and convincing evidence that retaining the proceedings in juvenile court serves public safety.
