Gyaw Way’s next hearing is scheduled for May 13 after prosecutors filed a first-degree assault charge.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A Ramsey County assault case filed after a teenager was shot in St. Paul is moving toward a May 13 hearing, with prosecutors pointing to a recovered handgun, witness accounts and a fatal fire dispute.
Gyaw Way, 61, is charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm. The charge stems from an April 7 shooting on Hoyt Avenue East that left a 17-year-old boy with wounds to his liver, lung and ribs. Court records describe a case with two connected investigations: the assault case against Way and a separate allegation that his adult son hid the gun afterward. Both matters remain allegations at this stage.
The first major court filing came April 9, two days after officers were called to the 1500 block of Hoyt Avenue East at about 3:45 p.m. Police found the teen inside an Acura, seated behind the wheel. His father was also in the car. The boy was screaming in pain and told officers he was having trouble breathing. He said an older man he did not know had shot him. Medical records summarized in the complaint said the bullet entered the right side of his chest, exited his back, struck his liver and lung and broke ribs. He was expected to survive after treatment at Regions Hospital.
Prosecutors say the shooting grew out of a meeting Way had arranged with the teen’s father. Earlier that day, according to the complaint, Way called the father and said he wanted to return money he owed from a previous trip to Thailand. The father, who has an amputated leg, had his teenage son drive him to the house. Once they arrived, Way got into the Acura. Way’s son, Pah Ker Say, 26, walked toward the vehicle. Witnesses heard a gunshot and then saw Say at the passenger side of the car, asking Way what was wrong with him.
The probable cause record then follows the gun. Witnesses told police Say took a small black handgun from Way and ran to the basement. Officers later searched the house under a warrant and found a 9 mm Citadel handgun inside a green crossbody bag in the basement. Police said Way was wearing a green bag containing a box of 9 mm ammunition when he was arrested. Those details may become important as prosecutors try to link the firearm, the ammunition and the injury to Way. They also support the separate case involving Say, who is accused of hiding the weapon after the shooting.
Say’s statements could become a disputed part of the evidence. According to charging records, he first told investigators he was not outside when the shooting happened. Police said he changed that account after being told surveillance video placed him near the car. Say then said he tried to get the gun from Way and that a struggle began before the shot. The teen did not support that version. He told investigators there was no struggle over the gun when he was shot. That conflict gives prosecutors and defense attorneys a clear factual issue for later hearings.
The motive described in the complaint is tied to a separate tragedy. Residents of the Hoyt Avenue home told investigators Way and Say had been staying there since a December 2025 fire at their house. One of Way’s children died in that fire. Way was overseas at the time, the residents said. Witnesses told police Way believed the teen’s father was involved “for some reason.” Local reports said the fire had been ruled accidental and likely began near a space heater. No charge described in public reports accused the father of causing that fire, and the complaint does not identify evidence that he did.
Way’s words at the time of arrest may be used to explain why investigators focused on that belief. Police said Way spoke in Karen after his arrest but said several English phrases that officers understood: “sorry,” “baby die” and “no accident.” Those words, if admitted in court, could help prosecutors argue the shooting was linked to Way’s view of the December fire. The defense could argue about translation, context, intoxication or intent. Witnesses told investigators Way had been drunk. Court records also say he returned inside after the shooting, lay on a couch and questioned why police had been called.
The father’s role in the case is unusual because he was both the alleged target of Way’s suspicion and a witness to his son’s injury. He told investigators Way had once been his caretaker. Because of his amputated leg, reports said, he could not help the boy immediately after the shot. That detail could matter to prosecutors if they describe the vulnerability of the people in the vehicle. It also shows how the families were connected before the shooting through care, debt and the loss that followed the December fire.
The first-degree assault charge requires prosecutors to prove more than a shooting occurred. They must prove Way caused great bodily harm and acted with the required intent under Minnesota law. The severity of the teen’s injuries is documented in the complaint, but intent may be contested. Prosecutors may rely on the alleged setup of the meeting, the firearm, the ammunition, the statements about the fire and the lack of a struggle described by the teen. A defense could focus on intoxication, the son’s account of a struggle or the reliability of witness statements made after a chaotic scene.
Way remained in the Ramsey County Jail with bond reported at $200,000. Judge Paul Yang was listed on the case, and the next hearing was scheduled for May 13. Public reports reviewed did not show a plea or detailed attorney response. Say’s separate case over the gun is expected to track the same evidence from the scene, including what he told officers and when he disclosed the weapon’s location.
The courtroom record now carries the questions police began sorting out on Hoyt Avenue: who fired, why the gun was brought to the car and how a fatal fire became part of a shooting case months later. As of May 5, the teenager was expected to survive, the December fire remained publicly described as accidental, and the assault case was awaiting its next hearing.
Author note: Last updated May 5, 2026.