Suspected gang member charged in St. Paul shooting incident

suspected St. Paul gang member faces second-degree assault charges after allegedly firing shots last month that grazed an 8-year-old boy in the left arm. Charges say that the boy, a bystander, was hit when Gregory James Cook Jr., 19, fired at three teenagers who were walking along Edmund Avenue in the Frogtown area on May 15. As the teens walked past a car, one of the three men inside stepped out and harassed a 16-year-old girl in the group, the charges say. Cook, who also was inside the vehicle, then allegedly fired at the group. One of the other teens walking with the girl, N.K. Trice, 19, told police that two men who were with Cook made a reference to the E-block street gang before Cook started shooting. Cook and the other two men are E-block gang members, the 16-year-old girl said. The next day, Trice was being interviewed by police at his home when he received a phone call threatening him for "snitching on E-block," the complaint against Cook states. Cook then allegedly fired at Trice again on June 5, the charges say. He was charged Friday in Ramsey County District Court with four counts of second-degree assault in the May 15 shooting. Bail has been set at $100,000.