Began at Mountain Lake, ended in St. James
According to the St. James Plaindealer, an incident that began on Minnesota State Highway #60 at Mountain Lake, and led to a shot being fired on Watonwan County Road #27 exit in St. James on Thursday, November 24, ended that night with the arrest of the alleged shooter, Lance Naveunxay of El Paso, Texas, at the home of his parents in St. James.
An unnamed victim, his girlfriend and their baby daughter were eastbound in their vehicle on Highway #60 near Mountain Lake when a Toyota pickup began tailgating them with bright, high-density discharge lights. The Toyota then pulled alongside the victim’s car and began matching the speed, and would not allow the vehicle to pass.
Eventually the victim took the County Road #27 exit by St. James, with the Toyota following them to the top of the exit, flashing the car with high beams. The Toyota pulled along the passenger side of the victim’s vehicle, and came to a stop approximately one-car-length in front of the car. It is alleged that Naveunxay then pointed a gun out of the driver’s side car window and fired one round.
Naveunxay was arrested that night at his parents’ home. He admitted to having the gun, but claimed he was only attempting to scare the victims when it accidentally fired. He stated that the victim must have been upset about the lights, got out of the vehicle and threw something at his Toyota, at which time he grabbed the gun and tried to scare the victim.
Naveunxay, who grew up in Mountain Lake, has served a six-year career in the United States Army, working his way to E5 Full Sergeant. Within one-half-hour of his deployment in Afghanistan, he was involved in a mortar attack. This incident, along with additional situations, led to his being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). He was in the area to visit his father and mother. His father has been diagnosed with cancer, and has a life expectancy of between nine months and one year.
His first court appearance in Watonwan County was on Monday, November 28. Bail was set at $100,000 without conditions, and $35,000 with conditions. The conditions set in his release included that he is not to leave the state, he is to make all of his court appearances, is to obey state and federal laws, have no contact with the victims, take no mood-altering substances, abstain from firearms or ammunition and notify the court of any address change.
Naveunxay’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 10, 2017, at 1 p.m.