When St. Anthony police responded to an apartment building Monday morning on a 911 call of a woman outside and screaming for help, a man pointed a gun at her head and squeezed the trigger — officers heard a click — but no bullet fired, according to charges.

The man, later identified as Devion Maurice Richardson, then pointed the gun at an officer before tossing it and running from the scene, according to a criminal complaint filed Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court charging the 31-year-old with kidnapping, second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault of a police officer.

Devion Maurice Richardson (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

Officers located and arrested Richardson, who remains jailed in lieu of $1 million bail ahead of a Thursday morning court appearance. An attorney is not listed in his court case file.

According to the criminal complaint:

Officers called to the apartment building in the 3000 block of Diamond Eight Terrace around 11:45 a.m. found Richardson talking with the 35-year-old woman on a bench in the courtyard area.

When officers approached and asked what was going on, Richardson stood up, pulled a black handgun from his waistband and pointed it directly at the woman’s head. After Richardson pulled the trigger, the woman crouched down and moved away from him.

Richardson then pointed his gun directly at an officer, who pulled his gun, pointed it at Richardson and ordered him to drop his weapon. Richardson tossed his gun toward the bench and ran.

Richardson’s .380-caliber handgun retrieved by police did not have a round in the chamber, although rounds were in the magazine, according to the complaint.

The woman told police that she and Richardson had dated for around three months, until she broke it off with him after he assaulted her at his apartment on May 26.

She said Richardson approached her on Monday morning as she walked to her car at her St. Paul apartment to go to an orientation for her new job. He pulled out a gun and demanded she drive him to his St. Anthony apartment.

She told police she pleaded with Richardson that she did not want to die, that she was a single mother. “Richardson told (the woman) he didn’t care — his life was over — and it was going to end for them both,” the complaint says.

Richardson forced the woman to drive him to his apartment, but realized his phone and keys were in his car back at her apartment. When she asked Richardson his plan, he said he was going to kill her in a murder-suicide, the complaint says.

Richardson had the gun out during the entire ride, and he told her the safety was off. At one point, Richardson put his head next to the woman’s head and held the gun to his own head. “Richardson told (the woman) that was how they were going to ‘go out,’ ” the complaint says.

Once at Richardson’s apartment building, the woman sat on the courtyard bench figuring he “couldn’t kill her there because a woman and kids were in the area,” the complaint says. She couldn’t call police because he had taken her phone.

During booking into jail, Richardson said he was suicidal and that he “didn’t want to shoot you guys,” the complaint says. He said he got spooked when the officer drew his gun, so he dropped his gun and ran.

Officers tried to interview Richardson, who said he was in love and added, “I’m gonna just shoot myself,” the complaint says. He said he didn’t cock the gun, so he knew it wasn’t going to fire. When asked if he wanted to speak to police, Richardson asked for an attorney.

Richardson’s criminal history is made up of petty misdemeanor driving offenses.

Suicide prevention information

If you need help: If you are in crisis, call 988 or text “Home” to 741741 for free, 24/7 support from the Crisis Text Line. Or, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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Local resources: More local resources at Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) at Save.org.

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