3 Dead, 2 Injured in Saint Paul Shooting
SAINT PAUL—Police have confirmed three people are dead and two were injured after a shooting Sunday on the city’s east side.
Officers were initially called to the 900 block of Case Ave. E. in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood around 4:30 p.m.
UPDATE: Charges Say 'Vice Lords' Member Shot 5 in Saint Paul
Police found two people in front of a residence who were shot, according to a media release from SPPD.
Those two victims told officers that there were more people injured inside of the residence.
Police made entry to the residence and found three more victims who also appeared to have gunshot wounds.
Paramedics responded but the three victims found inside the residence were pronounced dead at the scene.
The two other victims who were found outside were taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital in Saint Paul.
According to initial EMS radio dispatches, those two victims were vitally stable while being transported.
Officers secured the scene of the shooting, interviewed witnesses and collected evidence.
Police said they’d been called to the residence around 17 times in the past year, for a variety of incidents from domestics to aggravated assault.
The aftermath of the shooting was “one of the most complex crime scenes we have investigated in some time," SPPD Sgt. Mike Ernster said at a media conference late Sunday night.
As of late Sunday, there were no suspects apprehended. SPPD said they were still searching for “the person or people responsible” for the shooting, but authorities did not release any suspect information.
Police also said they have not confirmed if the shooter may have been one of the five people injured.
The victims’ names and ages have not yet been released by authorities. The three deaths are the 25th, 26th and 27th homicides in the city of Saint Paul so far this year.
UPDATED STORY: Charges Say 'Vice Lords' Member Shot 5 in Saint Paul
UPDATE - Monday, Sept. 5
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner has identified the deceased victims as:
Angelica M. Gonzales, a 33-year-old female, of Saint Paul
Cory U. Freeman, a 42-year-old male, of Saint Paul
Maisha M. Spaulding, 44-year-old female, of Saint Paul
The two people who were injured in the shooting and transported to the hospital are both adults and both in stable condition, SPPD said.
Police said that as of now, there's no information to lead investigators to believe the incident was domestic-related, and the case remains under active investigation.
Police did not release more details Monday on what led up to the shooting but asked anyone with information to call the SPPD Homicide Unit at 651-266-5650
UPDATE - Wednesday, Sept. 7
Police today announced an arrest in relation to the Saint Paul killings. A 41-year-old man from Minneapolis was arrested Wednesday morning in Chicago as part of a joint effort with the FBI’s Violent Crime Task Force.
The suspect arrested in Chicago was formally charged Friday, Sept. 9.