Marine Corps News Room

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Saturday, October 08, 2005

By Julie Bratvold
Staff Writer
jbratvold@bemidjipioneer.com

John Thomas Turpin and Gary Lynn Goodwin, the two men accused of shooting a produce stand owner and his wife during an attempted robbery, were arraigned Friday morning in Clearwater County District Court.

Both men received identical charges of one count of first-degree aid and abet aggravated robbery, one count of first-degree aid and abet assault, and two counts of second-degree aid and abet assault.

They are currently being held in the Clearwater County Law Enforcement Center on $500,000 bail each.

Details of Wednesday’s shooting were released in a criminal complaint on Friday.

The complaint states that the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call at 12:26 p.m. Wednesday regarding a shooting at A & E Produce, a small produce and used gun stand located on U.S. Highway 2 between Bagley and Shevlin.

Two injured

The owners of the business, Arnie and Evelyn Erickson, were injured in the shooting. They were transported to Clearwater County Memorial Hospital, where Arnie was treated for a gunshot wound in the upper arm. He was released Wednesday afternoon.

Evelyn was later transported to North Country Regional Hospital in Bemidji with a gunshot wound in the leg. She was listed in stable condition as of Friday afternoon.

In an interview with a Bureau of Criminal Apprehension special agent, Arnie stated that he and Evelyn were inside the store unpacking boxes when a Native American male, later identified as Turpin, came in and asked to use the bathroom.

Arnie stated that Turpin came back into the store and grabbed a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun off a rack. Arnie watched as Turpin filled the gun with ammunition.

The report states that when Turpin swung the loaded gun toward the couple, Arnie pushed the gun away. The gun discharged, shooting Evelyn in the leg.

Arnie stated that Turpin then pulled the gun away and began to back out the door. Turpin allegedly fired a second shot, which hit Arnie in the upper arm.

As Arnie ran outside, he stated he saw a second Native American male, later identified as Goodwin, throw up his arm and shout “I didn’t shoot anyone,” before fleeing.

Into the woods

The suspects reportedly fled on foot into a wooded area behind the store. They were apprehended at approximately 2 p.m. about a quarter-mile away from the business. A double-barreled shotgun was found near where Turpin was located, according to the report.

A different BCA agent later interviewed Turpin, who stated that he and Goodwin drove to A & E Produce to rob the store. Turpin said he had visited the business a week earlier and discovered that the owner buys and sells used guns. He told the agent that he decided to rob the store for money and guns.

During that initial visit, Turpin stated that he recalled seeing a .357 handgun and other guns, including a double-barreled shotgun, in the store. He said that he purchased a box of .357 cartridges with the intention of loading them into the handgun he saw at A & E Produce.

According to the complaint, Turpin went on to explain that he entered the store Wednesday afternoon, picked up the double-barreled shotgun and loaded it. He said he pointed the gun at Arnie, but Arnie pushed it away. Turpin said he began to back out of the store after a struggle for the gun.

Owner’s self-defense

The complaint states that he confessed to firing a shot at Arnie, at which point Turpin stated Arnie pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun. Turpin stated that he then fled the scene.

Turpin further stated that he brought along rope and plastic zip-ties to restrain the couple, but he never got the chance to use them because the store owner fought back, the complaint states.

On Thursday, officers conducted a search of the 1988 Oldsmobile Cutlass driven by the suspects. Inside the vehicle they found a box of .357 cartridges, two 12-gauge shotgun shells, and a hand-drawn sketch of the interior of the A & E Produce store.

Long rap sheets

Both suspects have extensive criminal histories, with numerous robbery convictions in the Metro area, according to Clearwater County Attorney Kip Fontaine. He added that both men have spent significant periods of time in state prison.

Fontaine was not sure if the two had ever committed crimes together before. He also said that neither man appears to have ties to the Clearwater County area.

Turpin (also known as John Thomas Goodwin), 56, of Mahnomen, is currently on probation in both the state and federal systems, Fontaine said.

Turpin’s felony criminal record dates back to a 1967 robbery conviction, when he was 18 years old. He has a total of eight robbery convictions, as well as convictions for burglary, assault and possession of a sawed off shotgun.

In 1990, Turpin was sentenced for aggravated robbery. He was released in 2003, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Goodwin, 51, of Minneapolis, also has a long history of felony convictions. His first conviction was for simple robbery in 1970. He has also two other robbery convictions, and convictions for third-degree murder, assault, kidnapping and illegal possession of a firearm.

His most recent felony conviction was in 2003 for fifth-degree controlled substance crime. However, records from Yellow Medicine County show that Goodwin received a misdemeanor conviction on Sept. 30 of this year for issuing dishonored checks.

If convicted, the men face up to 20 years in jail and a $35,000 fine for the first-degree robbery charge, 20 years and a $30,000 fine for the first-degree assault charge, 10 years and a $20,000 fine for one second-degree assault charge, and seven years and a $14,000 fine for the other second-degree assault charge.