Police: Man killed St. Paul artist at random before he was fatally shot by police in Belle Plaine

St. Paul police say a man shot and killed an artist working on a Lowertown mural at random in a “cold-blooded” attack Wednesday evening before he fled to Belle Plaine, where he was fatally shot during an arrest attempt the next morning by officers who tracked him down.

The woman, who has not been identified, was killed at 5:30 p.m. while on her knees working on a project in an alley near the Lowertown Lofts Artist Cooperative at 255 Kellogg Blvd. E., which provides housing and studio space for artists.

The suspect fled in a vehicle, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said during a Thursday afternoon news briefing. Surveillance video captured the shooting. Henry reviewed that video and called the killing one of the most brazen acts he’s seen in 30 years of policing.

Although police have not named the suspect later killed by the officers, a family member identified him as Seantrell Murdock, 29, of Belle Plaine.

”[This killing is] one of the most cold-blooded things I’ve ever seen in my life. And as, what appears to be right now, a random act performed in a manner like that — I’ve never seen anything like that even in a movie. It is awful,” Henry said. “As the evidence comes out in the next few days, I hope we use this as an opportunity to really revisit how serious we are as a state and as a country about the types of violence that have become all too common.”

After the shooting, police were provided with a license plate number and surveillance video of the car believed to be connected to the suspected shooter. Police said they tracked the plate to an address in Belle Plaine, where they monitored the home overnight along with Belle Plaine police in an effort to find the man and execute a search warrant.

Shortly after 6:30 a.m., officers saw the man leave the home and attempted to arrest him.

“The man was armed with a handgun when he was confronted by the officers,” a statement from St. Paul police read. “Two St. Paul officers fired their duty weapons, striking him.”

Officers and the medics came to his aid before he was taken by air ambulance to HCMC, where he died, the statement continued. According to emergency dispatch audio, medical personnel accompanying the man in an air ambulance from Belle Plaine said he had been shot in the chest twice.

St. Paul police did not explain what prompted the officers to open fire on the suspect. All St. Paul officers involved in the encounter were wearing body cameras. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) will review the video as part of its investigation. In the meantime, the officers will be placed on standard administrative leave.

Richard Mims-Angel, who identified Murdock, came to the scene of where the man he raised as his son was shot Thursday, which was still surrounded by crime tape.

Mims-Angel, who helped raise Murdock since he was 2 years old, said he and his family were struggling to understand why the shooting happened. They hadn’t heard anything about a shooting in St. Paul until after Murdock was killed.

”How that comes about — you’d have to ask [police],” he said.

Court records show that Murdock has a criminal history in the Twin Cities that includes convictions for nonviolent crimes including illegal gun possession, burglary, fleeing police and receiving stolen property.

Murdock is a father of four children. ”Now he’s dead,” Mims-Angel said, as he paced on his front porch. “We’re distraught. The people that aren’t crying are blank and numb.”

The shooting of the artist in St. Paul was discovered when a police officer came upon the artist and reported that she had been shot in the back of the head, according to emergency dispatch audio.

BCA investigators remained in Belle Plaine well into Thursday afternoon, collecting evidence and hauling away a car similar to the one that witnesses reported seeing flee from where scene of the St. Paul artist’s killing. A black pickup truck was also towed from the scene.

Crime scene tape surrounded the brightly painted St. Paul art installation on Thursday where the shooting occurred, while a bouquet of flowers was placed in the center. A few more flowers sat atop one of the sawhorses bordering the installation, which was intended to beautify the alley. Many security cameras are in the area, installed to deter crime in recent years. One appeared to point directly at the spot of the shooting.

Henry was asked but did not say why he believed Murdock should not have had access to a gun. Court records show that Murdock’s mother previously petitioned Scott County District Court to have him committed as mentally ill.

She cited bipolar disorder and another affliction that combines schizophrenia and a mood disorder. Judge Colleen King agreed in response that Murdock’s daily abuses of alcohol and marijuana were factors in his psychological difficulties. King noted that during one hospitalization Murdock verbally and physically assaulted staff and required physical restraints and emergency medication.

Ultimately, King set aside a civil commitment of six months and chose instead to order Murdock to keep all his medical and psychological appointments, take his medication as required and stay away from illicit drugs and alcohol.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the Lowertown killing is one of the most brazen he’s seen.

”No one hopes for the type of ending that we experienced this morning,” the mayor said before thanking officers for their work. “This experience ought to also force us to double down on our commitments to ensuring that members of our community who have no place with a firearm, that we’re doing everything we can as a community to work together to ensure that they don’t.”

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In a statement, the artists’ cooperative confirmed the victim was one of their members who was working on a project outside the building.

“We ask that our friends and neighbors not speculate about the situation,” the statement said. “Our community is in shock and grief as we grapple with the unimaginable.”

The shooting comes less than two weeks before the St. Paul Art Crawl, scheduled for Oct. 4-6.

Cherrie Tidwell said crime in the area is bad and keeps her from going out much at night.

”We don’t usually have nothing this drastic happen here. It’s hit too close to home,” Tidwell said. “It’s just sad to see it come to this extreme. I’d be really cautious.”

Killian and Kara, who work in Lowertown and asked that their last names not be published, said crime has pushed some residents out of the neighborhood.

”I just want people to be careful,” Killian said. “When you see a squirrel constantly coming in and out of the hole, that’s unfortunately what we’re at right now — constantly looking behind our shoulders and backs.”