Police on Thursday identified the 22-year-old man who was fatally shot this week in St. Paul, and his family says he was killed during a robbery.
Family IDs man who was fatally shot this week in St. Paul, says he was robbed in process
Alex Becker "truly tried to see the good in everyone," one family member said.
December 29, 2022 at 1:00PM
The shooting of Alex Becker occurred late Tuesday in an alley in the 500 block of W. Lawson Avenue in the North End, police said.
No arrests have been announced in what is the 40th homicide in St. Paul this year, two more than the yearly record set just last year.
"I don't have anything eloquent to say," Tara Becker wrote on Facebook regarding the death of her son. "I'm devastated. I have been through so much loss."
While police have yet to comment about a possible motive, Tara Becker said Alex was robbed of his cellphone and cash, and killed as he walked from work.
Police Sgt. Mike Ernster said Thursday that "to maintain the integrity of this investigation, we cannot comment on any details other than what we have already spoken publicly about. Nothing is off the table as far as motive at this point."
Police said officers responded to a 911 call just before midnight on a report of gunfire. They arrived and found Becker in an alley suffering from gunshot wounds. St. Paul Fire Department medics pronounced him dead at the scene.
Tara Becker's sister Hidy Hammarsten started an online fundraising campaign to help the Beckers with expenses associated with Alex's death near the home where he lived with his mother.
Hammarsten wrote on the fundraising site that Alex Becker "never [had] a mean word to say about anyone. He truly tried to see the good in everyone."
She said he was "a pallbearer for his grandfather on Monday, December 19th, and now will be laid to rest as the family struggles to pay for the funeral costs."
Police urged anyone with information about this case to call police at 651-266-5650.
"No detail is too small," Ernster said. "If someone witnessed something suspicious or out of the ordinary, has video or heard something from someone, investigators would like to speak with them."
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