UPDATE: Man sentenced for August drive-by shooting at Moorhead gas station

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) - The man police say is responsible for firing a gun in early August will spend the next three years in prison.

21-year-old Braden Poitra was arrested Aug. 9 just before 1:00 p.m. in Dilworth and later booked into the Clay County Jail after Fargo police say he pulled the trigger and shot a man in the arm on August 6 in the 3300 block of 35th Ave. S. The reason for the shooting is still unknown. Charges have yet to be filed in that case in Cass County.

Charges were brought against Poitra shortly after his arrest in Clay County connected to a Moorhead gas station drive-by shooting a few days prior to pulling the trigger in Fargo.

Poitra pleaded guilty in late October, and was sentenced Thursday to spend the next 36 months in prison. He will get credit for the 164 days he’s already spent in jail.

Moorhead Police were called to the Holiday gas station in the 1500 block of 11th St. N. on Aug. 2 for an assault with a firearm. Two witnesses told officers they watched as a vehicle pulled up to the pumps and shortly after, another vehicle pulled up next to the first vehicle. Both witnesses say they saw two men get out of the second car, approach the first vehicle, and one of the men brandished a firearm. The car started to drive away and documents say the man, later identified by police as Poitra, aimed the pistol towards the vehicle and shot.

Detectives later found a .40 caliber casing on the ground near the gas pumps.

When officers later spoke with the victims inside of the car, one victim admitted Poitra had provided the victim with drugs, but the victim had not paid for them. The victim stated Poitra had sent text messages stating he needed to pay for the drugs or victim would get hurt.

The second man police say was involved is 27-year-old Devin Ludwig who is charged with two counts of aiding and abetting an offender, as well as possession of a firearm by a felon. Ludwig was convicted on the aiding an offender charge and sentenced in July 2023. He was given credit for the 49 days served in jail and his 15-month sentence is stayed for 4 years. He is on supervised probation for 3 years.

Poitra is a convicted felon out of Minnesota, after court documents state he was convicted of first-degree aggravated robbery in 2020. Documents say Poitra held a taxi cab driver at gunpoint in Dilworth and demanded the driver hand over all of his cash. Poitra was sentenced to just under four years in prison and was banned from ever possessing a firearm again.

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