St. Paul man sentenced to life in prison for "heinous" fatal shooting at downtown light rail station
ST. PAUL, Minn. — A judge sentenced a 34-year-old St. Paul man to life in prison for what police called a "heinous" fatal shooting at a light rail station.
According to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, the prison sentence for Shawn Michael Tillman came down Monday after a jury found him guilty of premeditated first-degree murder. He'll serve the life term without the possibility of parole.
In May 2022, Tillman fatally shot 37-year-old Demitri Ellis-Strong at the METRO Green Line's Central Station in downtown St. Paul. Trains were not in service at the time.
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Ellis-Strong died of multiple gunshot wounds.
Police say Tillman was identified with the help of several surveillance cameras in the area.
Ramsey County prosecutors call the crime "particularly callous"
"[The] verdict brought some relief and a measure of justice to the victim's family and our community," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said. "We are grateful to the Metro Transit Police investigators, as well as our prosecutors for their tireless work to bring this case to a successful conclusion."
Metro Transit Police Chief Ernese Morales III also released a response to the sentencing.
"Mr. Tillman committed the most heinous of crimes and we are pleased that justice was served," Morales said. "I want to applaud the Ramsey County Attorney's Office for their partnership and diligent work to reach this outcome. I also want to extend my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Ellis-Strong. While this does not ease the pain of losing a loved one in such a tragic manner, I hope the assurance that his killer will remain behind bars for the rest of his life will bring a small sense of closure."