NORTH MANKATO — Two young men have been charged in connection with an alleged robbery plot that authorities say led to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Tyson Goodsell in a North Mankato neighborhood on May 23.
Ryan Robert Wolner, 18, of rural Mankato, and Ahmed Fuad Mohamud, 23, of Shakopee, were arrested and charged following an investigation by North Mankato police and the Nicollet County Attorney’s Office.
Wolner has been charged with felony counts of aiding and abetting first-degree aggravated robbery, conspiracy to commit first-degree aggravated robbery, two counts of aiding an offender after the fact involving obstruction of the investigation of second-degree murder and aiding an offender to avoid arrest by harboring or concealing, according to charges filed in Nicollet County District Court.
Mohamud faces felony counts of attempted first-degree aggravated robbery and conspiracy to commit first-degree aggravated robbery.
Police responded shortly after 11 p.m. May 23 to reports of multiple gunshots in North Mankato residential neighborhood. Witnesses reported seeing a silver Chevrolet Impala fleeing and officers arrived to find a vehicle that had rolled backward into a residence, according to the criminal complaint. The driver, later identified as Goodsell, had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. He was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato where he was pronounced dead.
Investigators determined Goodsell had arranged to meet an individual he believed was purchasing about $3,000 worth of THC cartridges. Surveillance footage from a family member’s home showed Goodsell leaving shortly before the shooting carrying at least one pink box and a later search of his vehicle later located a pink box containing THC cartridges.
The investigation led officers to the Impala owned by an acquaintance of Goodsell. Police learned the owner of the vehicle had allegedly been contacted by Wolner, who asked for help identifying a drug dealer to rob.
According to the complaint, Wolner directed the acquaintance to arrange a black-market cannabis purchase with Goodsell and offered payment for setting up the robbery. Investigators allege Wolner borrowed the acquaintance’s cellphone and vehicle to conceal his identity and make Goodsell believe he was meeting the acquaintance.
Wolner told him he would return later that evening with the cellphone and vehicle, the complaint states. Later that night, the witness reported Wolner called sounding excited and reported Goodsell had been “shot and killed.” Wolner reportedly claimed he was not present when the shooting occurred, saying only other witnesses, including Mohamud, were there.
The complaint states Wolner had obtained an AR-style rifle from a friend’s residence before the planned robbery. The witness told authorities Wolner had previously stored the rifle at his home and picked it up around 10 p.m. May 23, telling him he intended to use it to rob Goodsell.
Court records indicate Wolner was on conditional release in a separate first-degree aggravated robbery case at the time of the incident and was prohibited from possessing firearms.
One witness reportedly told police that he drove the borrowed Impala to the meeting location with Mohamud in the front passenger seat. The witness said Wolner handed a rifle to Mohamud before the vehicle traveled to the location where Goodsell was waiting. After the vehicle pulled alongside Goodsell’s parked car, Goodsell was shot and his vehicle began moving backward, the complaint states. The witness and Mohamud then fled the area.
Witness statements and GPS monitoring data cited in the complaint place Wolner, Mohamud and others together before and after the shooting.
Police later recovered the Impala abandoned in St. Peter, and a search of the vehicle found a live rifle round and a spent rifle casing. Investigators also discovered that cellphones were reportedly discarded after the shooting and that efforts had been made to conceal the vehicle and destroy evidence, according to the complaint.
Goodsell had completed his junior year at Mankato West High School just before his death. Family members said he was looking forward to graduation, attending college and pursuing a career as an electrician. He was active in sports, dedicated to fitness and was known for his close relationship with his siblings.
The charges were filed Monday, though the criminal complaint states the investigation remains active and that additional arrests or charges are possible.
Mohamud’s first omnibus hearing is scheduled for June 4 and Wolner’s for Aug. 8.