Shooting suspect charged with attempted murder, assault

Tilbury made his initial court appearance on Friday, Jan. 20 when bail was set at $450,000 with conditions and $750,000 without conditions. Tilbury will appear next in court at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 31st.

At about 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, 44-year-old Jade Nickels was found on West River Street near the entrance to Monticello’s compost site with multiple gun shot wounds, according to the Wright County Sheriff’s Office. Nickels also showed signs of being assaulted, the sheriff’s office said in a prepared statement. Nickels was transported by ambulance to North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, which is the closest Level 1 trauma center to Monticello.

“I will work with the Wright County Sheriff’s Office to hold Tilbury accountable for this crime,” Lutes said in a prepared statement. “This level of violence in our community is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” 

Lutes said he wants the public to know Jan. 16 shooting was not a random act of violence but rather a targeted act aimed at a specific individual.

A criminal complaint filed against Tilbury in Wright County District Court shed some light on the Jan. 16 incident.

The complaint states that investigating deputies were told by witnesses that Tilbury and Nickels got into a physical altercation outside a vehicle on West River Street near the Monticello compost site.

It was during this altercation that Tilbury allegedly shot Nickels, the complaint states.

Tilbury allegedly fled east on West River Street and was later found in the trunk of a vehicle parked in a garage of a West River Street residence. 

A semi-automatic handgun was later found in the rafters of the garage. A firearm magazine was later found in the bottom of a gas can in the backyard of the residence.

Lutes commended deputies with the Wright County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota State Patrol. He also commended citizens in the area who communicated with law enforcement to help locate Tilbury.

Law enforcement utilized a number of resources to track Tilbury and ensure he was located quickly and taken into custody after the shooting.

The sheriff’s office used a robot to open the service door to a garage at a West River Street address in which Tilbury was hiding, Lutes said. The sheriff’s office then flew a small drone into the garage to obtain surveillance footage inside the garage.

K-9 officer Chase was deployed inside that garage and led law enforcement to a trunk of a vehicle in the garage where Tilbury was hiding, Lutes said. Tilbury surrendered once Chase aggressively barked directly at the trunk. 

Tilbury remained in custody on Tuesday, Jan. 24 in the Wright County Jail in Buffalo.