The woman shot and wounded by a state trooper near Moorhead, Minn., this week was wanted for kidnapping in Wisconsin and was driving a vehicle that had been reported stolen, police said Wednesday.
Authorities identified the trooper involved in the shooting as Mark Peterson, who has been with the State Patrol since 1999. Peterson is on administrative leave while the incident is being investigated.
The injured woman, Melody V. Gray, 30, of Milwaukee, Wis., remains in a Fargo, N.D., hospital with a gunshot wound to the arm. She has been charged with attempted murder for allegedly trying to kill Peterson. Her companion, Dominique M. Crayton, 29, also of Milwaukee, remains in the Clay County jail facing charges of felony damage to property and receiving stolen property.
According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), Gray lost control of the vehicle she was driving on Interstate 94 Monday morning and spun into a median barrier just east of Moorhead. When the trooper stopped to assist, he learned the vehicle had been reported stolen in Wisconsin.
When he approached the vehicle, Gray jumped out and pointed a handgun at him, trying to pull the trigger as Peterson was trying to handcuff Crayton. Peterson fired at her, striking her in the arm. She ran across the highway and into a farm field before collapsing.
Gray and Crayton both had outstanding warrants for kidnapping and other felony charges in the Milwaukee area, police said. The BCA continues to investigate.
