Police arrest suspect in 'brazen' St. Paul Target parking lot shooting

St. Paul police say they have arrested a man for the fatal shooting of a 23-year-old in an East Side Target store parking lot earlier this month, calling it a "brazen" killing.

A 25-year-old man was arrested by officers Wednesday for the shooting death of Jadonn Taylor. He has been booked in the Ramsey County jail on suspicion of second-degree murder. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.

St. Paul Police Department Sgt. Mike Ernster called the April 6 shooting, which marked the city's ninth homicide of the year, a brazen act that is "beyond anybody's normal thought pattern." Police shut down the Target that day and cordoned off bystanders' vehicles which were part of the crime scene.

Police were sent at 9:50 a.m. that day to Target at 1744 Suburban Av. for a report of shots fired. They soon learned that Taylor had been taken to a fire station less than a half-mile away with multiple gunshot wounds. Although staff performed CPR, Taylor died at the scene.

Taylor's girlfriend had driven him to the fire station for help. She told investigators that the two of them went to Target that day to shop for their daughter. They parked in a spot close to the entrance, but noticed a "suspicious" Chrysler 300 nearby with "tinted out" windows.

The two went inside the store to be safe and near security, but walked back to their vehicle when they finished shopping. That's when she says a man approached their vehicle, looked into the windows and started shooting. She ducked down but realized that Taylor was bleeding and "slumped over," taking him to the nearby fire station for aid.

Target surveillance video supports Taylor's girlfriend's account. Search warrant documents say the video shows the Chrysler 300 driving past Taylor and his girlfriend. The car briefly leaves the parking lot before the shooter returns to the area on foot with someone driving the Chrysler 300 near them.

Authorities say the Chrysler is registered to the suspect's girlfriend, who is seen walking out of Target and into her vehicle minutes after the shooting.

Surveillance video showed the shooter hanging out in the area for about 10 minutes until Taylor and his girlfriend are seen leaving Target. They approached Taylor's vehicle and began shooting into the back of it, shattering the rear window. They then move to the driver's side and continue shooting, fleeing on foot afterward as Taylor's girlfriend fled in their vehicle.

Investigators later learned that the suspect may be associated with a St. Paul East Side gang, and that Taylor started receiving threats on social media after the killing of Gabrielle Dehoyos — a pregnant 21-year-old shot in the passenger seat of her boyfriend's car.

The police homicide unit later received a tip that Taylor's shooting was in retaliation for Dehoyos' murder. Paul Dwayne Harris, 24, was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Dehoyos' death a month ago. According to the search warrant, Taylor and Harris were close, and both members of West Side gangs, which are rivals of East Side gangs.

It is unclear when he will appear in court for the charges. Authorities are still searching for the suspect's girlfriend, whose phone has been shut off since her family members were told she is wanted.