St. Paul police arrest 14-year-old in shooting death of teenager

St. Paul police have arrested a 14-year-old boy on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of another teenager found mortally wounded Tuesday evening on the city's East Side.

Officers were called to the 1200 block of Hazelwood Street about 6 p.m., where they found Jorge Batres, 17, inside a pickup truck with a gunshot wound to the head. He was declared dead at the scene.

Witnesses reported someone running from the area following gunfire, and police were able to apprehend the teenage suspect nearby. Charges are pending.

The homicide marked the capital city's 22nd this year — a 46% increase over this point in 2019 — and continued a troubling stretch of gun violence in the Twin Cities.

The victim was the third person shot within two hours Tuesday. Gunfire first erupted about 4:15 p.m. in the area of Stillwater Avenue and Johnson Parkway, critically injuring a 23-year-old man. Bystanders applied pressure to the wound on his chest before paramedics arrived and transported him to Regions Hospital. He is expected to survive, authorities say.

Witnesses told police that an armed male jumped out of an SUV and opened fire on the victim before fleeing on foot.

Barely a half-hour later, a 19-year-old man matching the shooter's description arrived at United Hospital with a gunshot wound to his arm. Once treated for his injury, the man was arrested by police and booked in Ramsey County jail on suspicion of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting.

Just after 4 a.m. Wednesday, officers were called to the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood for another shooting, where they found a 22-year-old suffering from a gunshot wound to the back and leg. Police believe that man was wounded during an attempted robbery.

He was hospitalized and is also expected to survive.

At least 141 people have been shot in 2020, compared with 99 at this time last year. Homicides in St. Paul are already on track to surpass last year's 31 shooting deaths, while Minneapolis has already exceeded the total number of homicides it had in 2019.

Staff writer Matt McKinney contributed to this report.

Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648