Man shot by St. Paul police is tied to double homicide and another shooting in Minneapolis

A man wounded by St. Paul police gunfire Monday night was the gunman in two shootings in Minneapolis, one occurring less than three hours before he was shot and the other a day earlier at a homeless encampment that claimed two lives, according to police and prosecutors.

Earl Bennett, 40, who has no permanent address, was shot about 8 p.m. Monday by officers who encountered him with a handgun near Snelling and Charles avenues, St. Paul police said.

As officers approached, Bennett pointed his gun at his own head, a police statement read. Officers negotiated with Bennett in hopes of him dropping the gun, but he refused and started walking south on Snelling.

Bennett went to the intersection of Snelling and University Avenue, where scores of motorists and pedestrians were present at the time, said Police Sgt. Mike Ernster.

Police used less lethal rounds as they tried to get Bennett to put the gun down, but were unsuccessful, Ernster said. At one point, Bennett pointed the gun at officers, who shot and struck the man, Ernster said.

Bennett was taken by St. Paul fire paramedics to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained there Tuesday afternoon.

No officers were injured in the incident. The officers who fired their weapons have been placed on standard administrative leave, Ernster said. Their identities have not been disclosed.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Bennett Tuesday afternoon with illegal weapon possession and second-degree assault. The charges offered further details about the encounter, including that Bennett “told police to shoot him” and that his 9-millimeter handgun was not loaded.

Ernster told the Star Tribune late Tuesday afternoon that the officers were responding to a shots-fired call when they came upon Bennett, and “we have no information to indicate any of our officers knew his identity or of his past actions [in Minneapolis] prior to encountering him.”

The charges noted that Bennett’s criminal history includes five convictions for first-degree robbery, and one each for receiving stolen property, fleeing police in a vehicle and attempted escape.

Residents around the Hamline-Midway neighborhood made several complaints about crime and drug use in the area, where police officials say mental health and chemical dependency bring challenges. Authorities are working to increase safety in the area, but say that community members could help make a difference.

Also Tuesday afternoon, Bennett was charged in Hennepin County District Court with attempted first-degree murder in connection with a shooting at a sober house about 2½ hours earlier in the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue S. in Minneapolis.

According to the criminal complaint, two people at the sober house identified Bennett as perpetrator and noted that he showed obvious signs of drunkenness after returning to the residence.

Staff told Bennett he was going to be given a drug test. An angry Bennett closed window shades in the dining room and threatened several people, the complaint read.

A 50-year-old man sitting in a chair was hit in the neck by gunfire from Bennett, who fled the scene.

Charges are pending against Bennett stemming from Sunday’s shooting in Minneapolis that claimed two lives and wounded a third person at a small homeless encampment along railroad tracks in the 4400 block between Hiawatha and Snelling avenues, according to police.

Killed were Christopher Martell Washington, 38, of Fridley, and Louis Mitchell Lemons Jr., 32, of Brooklyn Center, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

The city has dealt with several shootings in and around homeless encampments this year. Deven Leonard Caston, 31, was identified as the man shot to death Saturday at an encampment near E. 21st Street and 15th Avenue S. Two other people were wounded. No arrests have been announced in that case.

Police Sgt. Garrett Parten said it was unclear whether the weekend shootings were related, but “we can’t rule it out.”

Mayor Jacob Frey attended a news conference Sunday after the shooting on Snelling and said the city needs to continue to provide options for people seeking shelter. But, he said, encampments are not an alternative answer.

In connection with Monday night’s shooting in St. Paul, various police accountability groups demanded the release of video from the officers’ body-worn cameras and addressed the challenges that the homeless present to Minneapolis and St. Paul.

“We cannot forget about the homeless,” activist Toshira Garraway said at a news conference. “We cannot forget about what is happening regarding mental health in our community. But most of all, [we cannot forget] the trauma that keeps getting inflicted over and over and over again in our community.”

Star Tribune staff writer Kyeland Jackson contributed to this report.