A 48-year-old Hinckley man is facing attempted murder charges following a shooting in Pine County on April 17.
According to a criminal complaint, Pine County Sheriff's Deputies were called to a residence on Cedar Creek Road in Hinckley with the report that two people were shooting at each other.
When the first deputy arrived on scene, he located Robin Gilliland laying on the ground in the driveway. The report stated that he had been shot multiple times and was bleeding from his lower abdomen. The report also noted that Gilliland was wearing a bulletproof vest at the time. He was placed in a squad car and transported to a safe location to meet an ambulance.
The deputy then heard screaming coming from a trailer house on the north side of the property. As he approached the residence, the deputy noted bullet holes in the door frame and a pair of legs partially visible. The complaint says that the deputy found Timothy Foster on the ground with a shotgun next to him.
Foster was bleeding from his upper right thigh and the right side of his face, specifically from his mouth. The report stated that Foster spat blood at the officer.
While analyzing the scene, deputies noted numerous shotgun shells outside the trailer house consistent with the shotgun found near Foster. Two pistols were located near where Gilliland was found laying.
In an interview with law enforcement, the caller said, "if it matters, the shotgun did the shooting first." He also told deputies that Foster was upset with Gilliland because Gilliland got the house that Foster thought he should have.
Foster was also reported to have previously threatened to shoot Gilliland, who took the threat serious enough to wear a bulletproof vest when he was in the yard.
Investigators confirmed that Gilliland lives in a house on the property, and Foster lives in a trailer north of the house.
A woman dating Gilliland told investigators that Foster had threatened Gilliland several times. She said that Foster reportedly shot out the windshield of Gilliland's truck in February of 2022, but Gilliland didn't want to press charges because he feared that it would make the situation worse. The incident was later confirmed by law enforcement to have happened on February 23, 2022; however, Foster denied shooting the windshield.
At that time, Gilliland claimed that Foster has schizophrenia and was off his medications, and he needed mental health help.
Investigators met with Gilliland in the hospital on April 18 following the shooting. He told law enforcement that he was standing outside his vehicle when Foster shot at him. Gilliland said that he was hit in the arm and chest area. He reportedly told Foster to stop. He claimed that Foster shot again, so he shot back with a handgun.
When Gilliland's gun was empty, he told investigators that he grabbed his second handgun and shot at Foster with that.
Gilliland said that he did not speak to Foster the day of the shooting and does not know what "set him off" on that particular day. He said that his brother, who is also Foster's stepfather, owns the property that they live on.
The girlfriend of the man who called 911 on April 17 told law enforcement that Foster called her that day. During their conversation, Foster allegedly said that Gilliland should be shot in the face, laughed, and then hung up.
Foster's stepfather told investigators that Foster has struggled with his mental health for years and was upset that Gilliland moved into the house in 2021. He then showed investigators text messages from Foster that said "Have you said goodbye to your brother" and "Can I kill your brother."
Investigators met with Foster on May 5. The criminal complaint said that Foster claimed that Gilliland and the caller were "pimping out his ex-girlfriend right in front of him."
Foster reportedly told investigators that he had gone to his stepfather's house that day to ask why Gilliland was at the property and that seeing him on the property caused Foster to become enraged.
When asked if there was a confrontation that caused him to shoot, Foster reportedly said "just him fucking being there."
According to the complaint, Foster said he remember firing the shotgun twice and said it was not cycling properly. He also remembered blood gushing from his face and being dragged from the trailer by a deputy.
Foster has been charged with second-degree attempted murder, second-degree attempted murder - without intent - while committing a felony, second-degree assault, and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
