A man was fatally shot in a residential area of St. Paul's East Side on Thursday, and police have arrested a possible culprit.
Officers responded just after 2 p.m. to reports of gunfire at the intersection of Third Street E. and Earl Street in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood and found a man lying in the street, St. Paul Police Department spokeswoman Molly McMillen said at a news conference.
The man had gunshot injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. Officers located a possible suspect nearby and arrested him. Investigators are still working to determine the relationship between the victim and suspect, and what led to the shooting, McMillen said.
The intersection was taped off for several hours. Investigators were seen combing through the grass next to American Indian Magnet School, looking around a bus stop and placing items in bags.
"Our investigators are working closely with witnesses who may have been in that area at the time, and [if someone] had seen something or heard something they're encouraged to contact us," McMillen said.
This was the city's 19th homicide of 2023.
Rick Dahl, who lives a block away, said he was half-asleep when he heard the gunshots, which he at first thought could have been fireworks.
"It sounded like three pops," he said.
