Princeton man sentenced after August shooting

David Alan Padilla, 60, of Princeton, was sentenced in court on Thursday, May 9, to 185 days in the Mille Lacs County Jail after recklessly discharging a firearm within the city in August 2023.

Padilla was facing charges of harassment with a dangerous weapon, making threats of violence with the intent to terrorize, and a dangerous weapons charge for recklessly discharging a firearm within a municipality. All charges are felony-level offenses.

However, the charges of harassment with a dangerous weapon and making threats of violence with the intent to terrorize were dismissed, and Padilla was only sentenced on the basis of recklessly discharging a firearm within a municipality.

Following Padilla’s 185-day stay in the Mille Lacs County Jail, he will be placed on supervised probation for five years as monitored by the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Padilla also faced $125 in fines and fees.

The incident occurred on Aug. 21, 2023, when the Princeton Police Department responded to a report of suspicious activity in the 200 block of 13th Avenue South. Before arriving on scene, officers were notified that the suspect, later identified as Padilla, was shooting a handgun in the direction of the complainant’s residence, the Princeton Police Department reported.

When officers arrived, they announced themselves as the police and heard two more shots fired from a gun. The two responding officers believed the shots were directed toward them, according to a criminal complaint filed in Mille Lacs County District Court.

Officers responded by taking cover, and they drew their service weapons and were able to control the situation, the Princeton Police Department reported. Padilla allegedly dropped the handgun and was taken into custody.

According to reports, no one reported injuries from the incident, and officers were unable to locate any damage to the properties in the area from the shots that were fired.

As officers processed the scene, several spent firearm casings were located alongside the handgun, the Princeton Police Department reported. Court records state that 10 spent ammunition cartridges and one unspent cartridge were located at the scene.

Leading up to the incident, court records state, Padilla allegedly sent hundreds of concerning text messages to an individual, prompting the individual to reach out to police. The Princeton Police Department also responded to the 200 block of 13th Avenue South on Aug. 18 and 20 in regards to an ongoing property line dispute allegedly involving Padilla.

Read the original Union-Times article about the incident at http://tinyurl.com/2ek7t4vm.