A 64-year-old Minnesota woman allegedly said a prayer before shooting her neighbor because she believed the victim was “murdering and raping” people and heard her “digging graves” in the basement, according to police.
Ava Leone Kock, 64, is accused of second-degree attempted murder and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, deputies from the Winona County Sheriff’s Office responded around 10 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a shooting in Elba, a small town in southeast Minnesota.
A witness told deputies that he was playing video games at home when the victim called his cell phone and asked him to go outside. When the witness approached the victim’s car, he noticed she was slouched under the dashboard. He also noticed multiple bullet holes in the windshield and driver’s side door.
The victim stated that she pulled her Jeep into a parking lot when someone began shooting at her. Bullet fragments struck her eye and entered her brain, according to cops. Detectives determined that her Jeep had been struck by bullets seven times. Police later discovered that Kock lived in a nearby apartment.
Deputies went to speak with Kock, who was reportedly “very cooperative.” She claimed she heard noises outside but did not go out to investigate. Cops discovered seven holes in the bathroom screen, roughly the same size as the bullet holes in the car, according to the affidavit. Kock allegedly stated that the holes were present when she moved into the apartment about a year prior.
Kock called 911 on Wednesday and told dispatchers she had attempted to contact the FBI and wanted to speak with local cops about “possible homicides” in the area, according to police. She allegedly claimed that when she moved into her apartment, the victim and witness were already living in the neighboring unit.
“Defendant told Deputies she believed Witness and Victim were murdering and raping people,” the investigators claimed. “She stated that she had heard them digging graves in the basement of their apartment and believes he has people and children buried there.” Defendant stated that she had to intervene because the justice system had done nothing to prevent Witness and Victim’s criminal behavior.
Kock stated that she “didn’t want to hear them anymore,” so she grabbed her son’s rifle and shot at the victim’s Jeep as she drove into the parking lot, according to the affidavit. Before shooting, she allegedly said a prayer along the lines of “guide my bullets like you guided David’s rock” and fired seven times because that number appears several times in the Bible.
According to the affidavit, Kock told deputies that after pulling the trigger, she felt “at peace” and “didn’t care” if the victim was injured. She allegedly concealed the rifle behind her stove and placed the shell casings in a potted plant in her living room. After obtaining a search warrant, cops allegedly recovered the gun and shell casings.
While they were investigating, the owner of a business next to Kock’s apartment told deputies that Kock came into the business about a month ago and said the victim and witness were “very loud,” according to the complaint. Kock allegedly stated that she believed the witness was assaulting the victim and that she would devise a plan to “take out” the witness.
Deputies arrested Kock and transported her to the Winona County Jail, where she is currently held on a $500,000 bond. On Friday, a judge ordered Kock to undergo an evaluation to determine whether she is competent to proceed with the criminal case. Her next court date is set for Thursday.
