OSHKOSH – A pub crawl confrontation near UW-Oshkosh escalated into gunfire April 11, with a 17-year-old bystander struck, according to court records and witnesses.
Devon Price, 23, of Omro, faces multiple felony charges, including first-degree recklessly endangering safety, first-degree reckless injury and concealing a stolen firearm, stemming from the shooting.
Price was also charged with possession of a firearm while intoxicated and was given a $100,000 bond while making his initial appearance in Winnebago County Circuit Court via video April 15. He’s being held at the Winnebago County Jail.
Further proceedings are set for April 20 before he returns to court for a preliminary hearing three days later.
If convicted, Price could face more than 30 years in prison.
What the criminal complaint says about the Oshkosh pub crawl shooting
Court documents show police apprehended Price following a traffic stop on West Irving Avenue near Jackson Street more than an hour after first responding to reports of a shooting on John Avenue and McKinley Street around 7 p.m.
According to the criminal complaint, officers initially found the 17-year-old victim with gunshot wounds to his left calf and ankle that required surgery.
Eyewitness videos showed a man trying to break up a fight between Price and a large group of people. Another man then punched Price in the face before Price pulled out a gun and began shooting into the crowd, the complaint states.
The victim, who told police he didn’t know Price, said he wasn’t the one who tried to break up the fight and wasn’t involved in the altercation.
An employee of a nearby restaurant told officers Price was in the building just five minutes before they got there and asked her to get rid of the gun before opting to keep the firearm.
She said Price hugged her, began crying and said before leaving the restaurant: “I killed him. I just killed someone.”
Police stated they eventually pulled Price over on West Irving Avenue when his vehicle did not have lights on.
In the court documents, officers said they didn’t find any weapons or other evidence in his car while Price acted surprised during the traffic stop.
Law enforcement revealed they eventually found the gun two days later in a storm sewer on Pleasant Avenue and Hudson Avenue after receiving an anonymous tip.
Price told police he arrived at the pub crawl around 2 p.m. and confirmed he was drinking while carrying a stolen 9 mm handgun that he said he got from someone in Chicago.
According to the criminal complaint, Price contended people were calling him “a cracker” before someone grabbed his sweatshirt and punched him in his right eye.
Police said Price didn’t recall pulling his gun or shooting, saying everything went black.
In the court documents, Price maintained not remembering the incident after being shown video of the shooting. Price said he remembered going to the restaurant and telling his former co-worker he was sorry and he loved her.
Amanda Lynn Folger is prosecuting the case, with Judge Daniel Bissett presiding.
Contact Justin Marville at jmarville@usatodayco.com and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @justinmarville.
This article originally appeared on Oshkosh Northwestern: Oshkosh pub crawl shooting suspect held on $100K bond
Reporting by Justin Marville, Oshkosh Northwestern / Oshkosh Northwestern
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
