PLYMOUTH, Minnesota — The quest to find those responsible for the fatal highway shooting of a popular Twin Cities baseball coach could gain new momentum with a hike in the reward being offered.
Schwebel, Goetz & Sieben, a longstanding Minnesota law firm, announced Wednesday that an additional $10,000 is being donated to the Jay Boughton reward fund. Boughton and his son were returning from a baseball game and driving on Highway 169 in Plymouth July 6 when someone in another vehicle opened fire. Boughton suffered a fatal gunshot wound, and his 15-year-old son was also injured.
When asked why his firm made the $10,000 contribution, Jim Schwebel shared a personal statement that was direct, and from the heart.
"The murder of a man like Jay Boughton in a road rage incident is a tragic outrage. He was husband, father, and community volunteer whose death is an enormous loss to all," Schwebel wrote in an email to KARE 11. "We stand with so many in our community that see this senseless death as more evidence of an unraveling of our community social fabric reflecting itself in record shootings and violence. There is so much frustration in seeing this violence daily in our cities, with no meaningful solutions being offered."
"Law enforcement says that rewards can inspire people to come forward with information that brings criminals to justice," Schwebel continued. "We want to do whatever we can to achieve some measure of justice for Jay Boughton, and other victims of gun violence."
"'It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness' that violence represents," he added.
While the case was prominent in the headlines in the days following the highway shooting, things have quieted down as investigators continue their work. The most recent development came on July 22 when Plymouth police revised their description of the suspect vehicle, narrowing it to a silver 2015-2020 silver Chevrolet Suburban LT.
With the new contribution, the reward fund for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a suspect or suspects in the killing now sits at $11,000. Anyone who knows something is asked to call CrimeStoppers of Minnesota at 1-800-222-8477, or Plymouth police Captain Michael Reed at 763-509-5178.