St. Paul police investigate city's third homicide in four days
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A man is dead after a shooting late Monday night in St. Paul's North End neighborhood, marking the city's 22nd homicide of the year and the third in just four days.
Police say a 911 caller tipped them off to the shooting, which happened at about 9:30 p.m. near the intersection of Wheelock Parkway and Jackson Street.
Officers arrived to find the victim on the ground "suffering from gunshot wounds." He later died at Regions Hospital, police say.
This homicide comes just two days after another man was found mortally wounded a few blocks west on Wheelock Parkway. A day earlier, a man died after he was found suffering from several stab wounds in a gas station parking lot in Downtown.
"It's very concerning. Our investigators are throwing everything they can at all of these cases trying to find out who's responsible for them and solve them as fast as we can and hold the people accountable," said Sgt. Mike Ernster.
Tuesday afternoon, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry voiced frustration and concern.
"This violence must stop," Henry said. "Solving these murders is not and is never going to be the answer. We have to prevent them from happening in the first place."
Law enforcement says they can't stop this troubling trend alone and need help from the community.
"It appears we have a new generation of folks that think the right way to solve problems is by shooting people," Henry said.
The sudden uptick in violent crime is leaving community members like Joyce Laidlew scared and confused.
"It's not my first time — I've heard gunshots around here," Laidlew said. "It sounded like an automatic of some sort. I didn't dare look out the window."
Despite this recent surge, the capital city is still reporting fewer homicides than last year at this time. Gun violence is also down compared to last year with 13 fewer non-fatal gunshot victims and about 40 fewer calls for shots fired.
"That gives me great pride and confidence in what we are doing is working, but not enough," Henry said.
Police say the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office will identify the victims in all three cases once their investigations are complete.