DETROIT LAKES, MN (trfnews.i234.me) –Â Benjamin Dean Petite, 20, from Ponsford, has been sentenced in Becker County District Court for his involvement in a BB and pellet gun drive-by shooting that damaged two vehicles at Detroit Lakes’ Peoples Park on July 10, 2023.
At around 8:17 p.m. on that day, Detroit Lakes police responded to reports of “shots fired” at the park. Petite was one of four men in a 2003 Chevy Silverado accused of firing multiple BBs and pellets.
Police found a 1997 Dodge Ram and a 2020 Chevrolet Malibu with shattered windows and multiple dents, indicating numerous pellets had been shot at the vehicles and people nearby.
Witnesses reported seeing pistols and fully automatic pellet guns being fired from the Silverado. One person said the attackers aimed at them and circled back to shoot again. Another witness described a “full-on shoot, spraying bullets.”
Petite claimed the attack was retaliation for death threats received by one of their group. He was the front seat passenger and fired a 1911-style replica pellet gun.
District Judge Michael Fritz issued a stay of adjudication on the felony riot charge, allowing for dismissal upon successful probation completion. Petite was convicted of property damage, sentenced to 364 days in jail with 334 days stayed, and must serve 30 days with credit for five days served. He was ordered to pay $5,826 in restitution, a $500 fine, and $150 in court fees, and placed on supervised probation for five years with conditions including no firearms or substance use.