Police shoot, kill suspect in "cold-blooded" St. Paul homicide
BELLE PLAINE, Minn. — St. Paul police officers fatally shot a man in Belle Plaine Thursday whom the chief said was a suspect in a "cold-blooded" killing in the capital city.
According to Chief Axel Henry, the man killed was a suspect in a Wednesday night homicide in St. Paul's Lowertown neighborhood. The chief said the killing was "one of the most cold-blooded things I've ever seen in my life."
"In almost 30 years of police work, this is probably one of the most atypical homicides that I've seen," Henry said.
Police identified a suspect vehicle and got a picture of the driver, Henry said, which led them to Belle Plaine on Thursday morning. Around 6:30 a.m., the suspect exited a house with a handgun, according to police, at which point two officers shot him. He was taken to Hennepin Healthcare, where he died.
Family identified the man killed as 29-year-old Seantrell Murdock, who they say leaves behind four kids and was on his way to work when the shooting occurred. Murdock's family members are hoping for answers, but said they will wait for the investigation to play out.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the police shooting. The officers who shot the man are on administrative leave. Police said all of the officers involved had their body cameras activated.
Henry said the Wednesday night killing was captured by a nearby camera. Police are not looking for any other suspects at this point, and the chief described the crime as "extremely random."
Court documents reveal Murdock had previously been convicted of felony first-degree burglary in 2014, barring him from legally owning a firearm.
Police earlier said an investigation was underway near Meridian and Prairie streets south in Belle Plaine. The public was advised to avoid the area during the active investigation, though there was no active threat, according to police.
Law enforcement closed off a perimeter encompassing St. John's Lutheran Church and some surrounding homes.
Neighbors tell WCCO they were just getting up for the day and sending their kids off to school when they heard sirens, followed by a helicopter landing on the street.
"I'm super happy with the police presence and it feels like they had a really good handle on the situation," said resident Jessica Mutunga. "Just hoping that it's not a reoccurrence or something that would happen on a regular basis here."
Belle Plaine is located about 44 miles southwest of Minneapolis.