Fundraiser Started for Victim of Baseball Bat Attack
A fundraiser is taking place to help a young man who was brutally beaten outside his mother’s Brooklyn Park home.
The GoFundMe fundraiser was started for Devon Gray, the victim of the Dec. 9 attack. Police say he was ambushed from behind and struck at least 45 times with a metal baseball bat.
Gray worked as a detention deputy for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, according to the fundraising site.
The suspect in the case, Mario Riera-Arias, 32, of Fridley, has been charged with first-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault.
The criminal complaint indicates the suspect likely targeted Gray because he was dating the suspect’s estranged wife. In an interview with police, the woman said she and Riera-Arias were in the process of getting a divorce.
The complaint said witnesses saw Riera-Arias run from the scene of the assault to his vehicle before fleeing the area.
Gray was in a medically-induced coma and is slowly recovering, the GoFundMe post said.
The organizer of the fundraiser writes how family and friends have been by Gray’s side in the hospital, progressing to the point that he attempted to get out of bed.
“Devon kept attempting to get out of the bed even though he still had no idea what happened, where he was, and couldn’t speak yet,” the post said. “Day after day Devon’s condition improved. Devon now can speak, but not to his full capabilities before the attack. Although, friends and family say he is still as spunky as he ever was.”
The post said Gray was working toward finishing a degree for a career in law enforcement with a dream of becoming a detective.
“At the age of 23 there is a lot of unknowns for Devon’s future right now,” the post said.
The attack, according to the post, impacted Gray’s ability to use the left side of his body.
The suspect, Riera-Arias, remains held at the Hennepin County Jail on $1 million bail. His next court date is scheduled for Jan. 10.
