Man Charged In Fatal Crystal Shooting Of Maricio Mata-Thelen
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Officials have identified the man fatally shot over the weekend in Crystal.
The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office says 26-year-old Maricio Mata-Thelen, of St. Paul, suffered a gunshot wound to the torso Saturday night in a home on the 5500 block of Yates Avenue North. His manner of death was listed as homicide.
According to police, officers responding to the shooting tried to help Mata-Thelen, but he died before emergency crews could bring him to a hospital.
After investigators interviewed people inside the home, a 29-year-old man turned himself in in connection to the shooting. As of Monday, the man was being held at the Hennepin County Jail. On Tuesday afternoon, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office announced charges had been filed against Angel Villalva, of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The shooting remains under investigation. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Crystal Police Department tip line at 763-531-1020.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Mata-Thelen's family with funeral costs. His relatives described him as an "incredible young soul taken way too soon."
The family pledged to create awareness around gun violence in the Twin Cities. "This needs to end," Mata-Thelen's sister wrote. "This isn't OK."
