More than a year after Jason Gatrell was shot in the neck while trying to stop a gunman from robbing a St. Paul convenience store, the man responsible confessed to the crime.
Donald Bell, 37, pleaded guilty Monday in Ramsey County District Court to one count of first-degree assault that resulted in great bodily harm for Gatrell on Thanksgiving Day in 2017.
He also pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Bell, a convicted felon from Le Sueur, Minn., is legally prohibited from possessing a gun.
He crossed paths with Gatrell after following Gatrell’s brother into the SuperAmerica at 717 N. Snelling Ave. in St. Paul’s Hamline-Midway neighborhood.
Gatrell, who works at the convenience store, was washing dishes in the back at the time. Armed with a gun, Bell ordered Gatrell to drop to the floor as he forced Gatrell’s brother, who also worked there, to empty the cash register.
Instead, Gatrell grabbed the gun and tried to wrest it away from Bell.
Bell wound up firing it several times as they struggled, striking Gatrell in the neck before he fled.
His brother put a towel on the wound, which was spurting blood, and called 911.
Police found him lying in a pool of blood, pleading for help. Quick intervention from paramedics and surgeons at Regions Hospital saved his life.
More than a year later, Gatrell is back at work at the convenience store, which has been rebranded as a Speedway. He didn’t have much to say about Bell’s guilty plea, noting he’s trying to leave the shooting behind him.
“I mean, it’s not that big of a deal to me,” Gatrell said Tuesday. “I’m trying to forget about the whole thing. Honestly, it’s (taken) up so much of my time and my life that I kind of just don’t want to deal with it or think about it anymore.”
DNA evidence collected at the scene led investigators to Bell. He initially had pleaded not guilty.
His attorney, public defender John Reimer, did not respond to requests for comment.
Bell is scheduled to be sentenced April 23.
Gatrell said he does not plan to attend the hearing.