Deer River man sentenced to prison for gun incident

A Deer River man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for a gun-related incident dating back to February 2022.

Itasca County says Duran Douglas Wilson-Keezer, 20, was sentenced for two counts of second degree assault with a dangerous weapon, and one count of illegally owning a firearm, in addition to other charges. The County Attorney offered a plea deal, saying aggravating factors were present to support a higher-than-usual prison sentence.

According to the criminal complaint, Wilson-Keezer was visiting a friend’s house in Ball Club and asked to see the friend’s AK-47 rifle. Wilson-Keezer then took the gun and walked out of the house, running down the road. The owner of the AK-47 told authorities the rifle had two 30-round clips, one held 30 rounds and the other contained 29 rounds.

Police were eventually called after Wilson-Keezer shot at a vehicle driving through Ball Club, and fired multiple shots at another person. Wilson-Keezer was located by police in a wooded area, but authorities say he attempted to resist arrest and spit in the officers’ faces.

When he was taken into custody, several empty rifle cartriges fell out of Wilson-Keezer’s pants pockets, which matched the ammunition of the AK-47. The rifle was later located by K9 Officer Cye, which was wrapped in a shirt and discarded by Wilson-Keezer.

Wilson-Keezer has a lengthy criminal record, including assault, disorderly conduct, fleeing and officer, and minor consumption of alcohol across three counties. At the time of the incident in February 2022, Wilson-Keezer had an active felony warrant for his arrest.