Police lights by night

(Mankato, MN) – A Mankato man faces a long list of charges after police say he shot himself with a gun he wasn’t supposed to own, then tried to cover it up.

Jaren Lee Allen, 23, was charged in Blue Earth County Court with two felony counts of a firearm violation by a felon, two felony counts of being a felon possessing a firearm or ammunition, and felony 5th-degree drug possession.

According to the criminal complaint, police were called to Allen’s home on December 14th by a family member who said Allen had been shot twice.  Police found Allen with a gunshot wound to his upper right thigh, but no one else was in the home.  Court documents say that Allen told police a woman he was dating was in bed with him when they heard two shots.  Allen said he noticed he’d been shot in the leg when he jumped out of bed.  He claimed that the woman had possibly shot him, or it may have been a member of a drug cartel that was after him, according to the complaint.

Paramedics at the scene found a cellophane wrapper containing meth in Allen’s sock, according to court documents. While searching the home on a warrant, police say they found a spent bullet wrapped up in a paper towel, and a .32 caliber revolver in a shed that appeared to have been recently fired.  The criminal complaint says a witness told police that’d he’d seen Allen with a gray handgun previously.

In an interview at the hospital, Allen told police his female companion had been messing around with an old, beat up revolver in bed when the gun went off twice.  He said he didn’t believe she had shot him intentionally, according to the complaint.

Law enforcement determined Allen’s story wasn’t consistent and interviewed him a second time.  According to the complaint, Allen said he’d been awake for nearly five days after using meth.  He told police he recalled having the gun inside his waistband and laying in bed with the woman, who was nervous that he had a gun in bed after using meth and not getting any sleep.  Allen told police he was taking the gun from his pants pocket when it went off and shot him in the thigh.  He said his girlfriend said he’d dropped the gun on the living room when it went off a second time.  Allen described the .32 revolver that authorities had found in the shed, and showed investigators messages from his girlfriend explaining how he’d shot himself.

Allen also faces four additional charges related to drug and weapons possession.  He was previously convicted of a crime of violence, according to the complaint, and was prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.  He is due in court on January 24.

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