St. Paul man likely fatally shot woman, then himself, police say

Two people were shot to death Saturday morning on St. Paul's East Side in what police suspect is a murder-suicide.

Officers were called to a home in the 1900 block of E. Montana Avenue at 8:30 a.m. and found a woman and man lying outside the house suffering from gunshot wounds. The man died at the scene and the woman was taken to Regions Hospital, where she died, police said.

"This is devastating for everyone involved," said police spokeswoman Sgt. Natalie Davis, adding that the deaths were a "senseless tragedy."

The homicide death is the city's eighth of 2021. Half of those homicides have had a domestic component.

Davis said investigators believe the man shot the woman before killing himself. A shotgun and handgun were found at the scene. The couple's names have not yet been released.

Over the last year, St. Paul police had been called to the home 15 times, with three of those calls for domestic disputes, Davis said.

Across the street, neighbor Brandy Fritz heard a couple of booms early Saturday and thought it was construction-related, though an odd noise for the quiet street where she has lived for 10 years. She looked outside and saw the woman lying on a sidewalk as a group of adults ran outside screaming and neighbors rushed to try to help.

Hours later, Fritz was still shaken.

"That's not normal around here," she said. "It's awful."

Davis said that anyone suffering from domestic violence should immediately contact police. The Minnesota DayOne crisis line, 866-223-1111, is also available around the clock for confidential help.

Kelly Smith • 612-673-4141