Prosecutors cite self defense, won't charge man in fatal shooting this week in St. Paul

Prosecutors said Friday that the man arrested in connection with a homicide early this week made a strong claim of self-defense and will not be charged.

Deandre L. Buckner, 28, of St. Paul, died shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday off Payne Avenue on the western edge of the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, police said.

A 20-year-old man was quickly arrested near the shooting scene on suspicion of murder.

However, Ramsey County Attorney's Office said in a statement late Friday afternoon that "we declined to file charges in this incident due to facts uncovered in the police investigation that strongly support a self-defense and defense-of-others claim by the person who fired the fatal shot."

The office did not elaborate on the specifics of the claim by the man, whom police identified as the shooter. The Star Tribune is not naming the man, because he's no longer subject to being charged.

A resident in the 600 block of Preble Street called 911 and said "people with guns were outside," and shots were fired within 30 seconds, a statement from police said.

An officer nearby heard the gunfire and went to the scene, according to police. The officer found Buckner and called for additional police, the statement continued. Fire Department medics arrived and declared the man dead at the scene.

There have been 32 homicides in St. Paul this year.