Man dead after 'brazen' gunfire outside Target store in St. Paul

One man is dead following what police called a "brazen" shooting in a St. Paul Target store parking lot Thursday morning.

The shooting occurred shortly before 10 a.m. at the Target in the 1700 block of Suburban Avenue near the White Bear Avenue exit from Interstate 94. The victim was driven to nearby St. Paul fire station No. 24 at 273 White Bear Av., where medics rendered aid.

He was pronounced dead in the station's driveway. An SUV with a shattered rear window was parked there behind crime scene tape, and a body lying next to the vehicle was removed from the scene by the medical examiner at 11:40 a.m.

Investigators are looking into what led to the shooting, St. Paul police Sgt. Mike Ernster said, adding, "We're early on in this investigation; we're still trying to piece together what occurred."

Scenes at the fire station and the Target parking lot were secured by police, Ernster said, while the witness who drove the victim to the fire station spoke with investigators. There were other witnesses to the shooting, he said. No arrests have been announced.

"It's very brazen, the fact that somebody would engage in a shooting in the middle of a Target parking lot at 10 a.m. on a Thursday is beyond anybody's normal thought pattern," Ernster said. "The fact that people are choosing to use weapons possibly to solve differences or whatever they're doing is crazy."

Lorena, a witness who asked that her last name not be used, said she was taking her husband to work at a Popeye's restaurant near the fire station when she was startled by noise and activity.

"Out of nowhere, I pulled around this corner and you see a whole bunch of squad cars pull up, rush right in the middle of the [driveway], they already had their doors open," she said, seeing a barricade of vehicles around a car with a person taken out who appeared to be dead.

The Target closed for the day and reopened at 7 a.m. Friday.

"Following a fatal shooting in the parking lot of our East Saint Paul store this morning, we can confirm that all other guests and team members are safe. Our team immediately called 911 and secured the store," Target spokesman Joe Unger said in a statement. "The Saint Paul Police Department is on-site, and the store will be closed for the remainder of the day as they investigate. Target will provide law enforcement with any information needed, and we will refer additional questions to them at this time."

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner will identify the victim. It is the city's ninth homicide of 2023. Ernster said any potential witnesses are urged to contact police at 651-266-5650.