Man Killed in Early Morning 'Random' St. Cloud Shooting; Suspect Arrested
St. Cloud police and BCA personnel at the scene of a homicide on the 2600 block of Island View Dr. on Sunday, June 20, 2021. PHOTO BY JONATHAN SAXON.
St. Cloud police say a man is dead after an apparent random shooting early Sunday morning while he was standing at the doorway of a home.
A suspect was later arrested and booked on suspicion of 2nd-degree murder.
It happened around 6:15 a.m. on the 2600 block of Island View Dr., a fairly secluded neighborhood just north of the St. Cloud Country Club and west of the Mississippi River. Police say the victim of the shooting died after being transported to the hospital, but they have not officially identified him.
St. Cloud Police Department Assistant Chief Jeff Oxton said it appears the suspect fired shots toward the residence from outside, then fled the area before officers arrived.
About 45 minutes later, dispatch received a report of a man seen walking with a handgun on the 1200 block of 4th Ave. S., which is more than two miles from the original incident location and near the campus of Saint Cloud State University. Officers found the man, Jason Robert Beckman, 45, of Duluth, and arrested him without incident, recovering a handgun.
Beckman reportedly admitted to officers that he had shot the victim, but a motive for the killing has not been disclosed. He was booked into the Stearns County Jail on suspicion of 2nd-degree murder and possession of stolen property.
Police say the killing appears to be random.
“At this point in the investigation it is believed that this was a random incident and that there were no connections between Beckman and either the victim and/or the neighborhood where the incident occurred,” Oxton said in a media release.
A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension crime scene team was observed throughout Sunday, processing the scene on Island View Dr., and authorities have not yet released further information. The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office will identify the victim after an autopsy.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the St. Cloud Police Department at 320-251-1200, or Tri-County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-255-1301, or at www.tricountycrimestoppers.org.
UPDATE: Authorities on Monday identified the homicide victim as Edward Anthony Ward, 68, a longtime professor at Saint Cloud State.
