Court records say the boy was hit in the liver and lung after a meeting over borrowed money.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A 17-year-old boy drove his father to a St. Paul home to collect money on April 7 and was shot minutes later by a man who blamed the father for a deadly fire, police said.
The teenager is the person most seriously injured in a case built around an accusation aimed at someone else. Prosecutors say Gyaw Way, 61, believed the boy’s father had something to do with a December fire that killed one of Way’s children. Authorities have not charged the father in connection with that fire, and public reports citing fire officials said the blaze was accidental. Way is charged with first-degree assault causing great bodily harm.
The boy was found in the driver’s seat of an Acura in the 1500 block of Hoyt Avenue East at about 3:45 p.m. Officers said he was screaming, having trouble breathing and suffering from a gunshot wound to the right side of his chest. The bullet exited through his back. The teen told officers he had been shot by an older man he did not know. He was taken to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries. Court records say the bullet hit his liver and lung and broke ribs, but he was expected to survive.
The father was sitting in the car when the shot was fired, according to the complaint. He had an amputated leg and could not physically help his son after the shooting, reports said. He later told police that Way had once been his caretaker. Earlier that day, prosecutors say, Way had called him and said he wanted to pay back money connected to a prior trip to Thailand. The father accepted the meeting, and his teenage son drove him to the address where Way had been staying since the December fire.
That simple errand is the frame prosecutors use to describe the alleged ambush. Way came out of the house and got into the Acura with the father and son, the complaint says. Way’s son, Pah Ker Say, 26, walked toward the vehicle. People inside the house heard a gunshot. When they looked outside, they saw Say by the front passenger door, asking his father what was wrong with him. Police say Say took a small handgun from Way and ran back inside. The boy, still in the driver’s seat, was left with internal injuries that required hospital care.
Say later told investigators that he tried to take the gun from his father and that the weapon fired during that struggle. The teen gave police a different account. He said there had been no struggle over the gun when he was shot. Court records also say Say first denied being outside at the time, then changed his account after officers said surveillance video placed him near the car. Prosecutors charged him separately, accusing him of hiding the firearm after the shooting. Police later found a 9 mm Citadel handgun in a green crossbody bag in the basement after obtaining a search warrant.
Way’s actions after the shooting became part of the probable cause record. Police said he went back into the home and lay down on a couch. Witnesses described him as intoxicated. The complaint says he wondered why police had been called and said he did not care that he was going to jail. When officers arrested him, they said he had a green bag containing a box of 9 mm ammunition. Police said Way spoke in Karen after his arrest, but they understood several English words. He said “sorry,” “baby die” and “no accident,” according to court records.
The “baby die” and “no accident” comments pointed investigators back to December. Residents told police Way and Say had been staying at the Hoyt Avenue home since a fire at their house. One of Way’s children died in that blaze, and Way was overseas when it happened. Witnesses said Way believed the teen’s father was involved “for some reason,” but the complaint did not say what evidence, if any, supported that belief. Local reports said the St. Paul Fire Department had ruled the fire accidental, likely beginning near a space heater. That history remains background for motive, not proof against the teen’s father.
The teen’s age also shapes the public record. His name was not released in most reporting because he is a minor. Court summaries identified him by initials and focused on the injury, the scene and his statement to police. The complaint does not describe him as part of any argument about the fire. It describes him as the driver who brought his father to the meeting. His father’s disability, Way’s earlier caretaker role and the money debt all created a close setting before the gunfire. The charge, however, centers on the bullet wound and the alleged intent behind it.
Ramsey County prosecutors filed the assault case April 9. The charge alleges great bodily harm, a legal phrase that fits injuries such as serious internal wounds and broken bones. Way remained in custody on bond reported at $200,000. His next hearing was scheduled for May 13 before Judge Paul Yang. A plea and defense response were not shown in the public reports reviewed. Way is presumed innocent unless proved guilty, and Say’s separate case does not decide whether Way fired intentionally.
The next court steps are expected to address evidence gathered from the scene and the house, including the gun, ammunition, witness statements and any video referenced by police. Medical records will likely remain central because the seriousness of the teen’s injuries supports the charge filed. The December fire could remain part of the case if prosecutors argue it explains why Way targeted the car meeting. Unknowns include why Way blamed the father and whether the defense will dispute intent, intoxication or the accounts from witnesses.
The teen was expected to recover after being shot during a trip made for his father. Way remained charged, Say faced a separate allegation over the gun, and the court’s next scheduled milestone was the May 13 hearing.
Author note: Last updated May 5, 2026.