Man arrested after teen shot outside St. Paul rec center

Police have made an arrest after a teenage boy was shot and suffered life-threatening injuries Wednesday afternoon at a rec center in St. Paul.

Officers responding to a reported shooting about 4 p.m. found the teen at the Jimmy Lee Recreation Center at 270 Lexington Pkwy. N., police posted on Twitter on Wednesday night. The boy was taken to Regions Hospital.

A 26-year-old man was arrested in connection with the shooting and is being held on suspicion of first-degree assault, police posted later on Twitter. A handgun was also recovered.

Police do not believe there is any continued threat to the public, Mayor Melvin Carter said on Twitter. The city activated its Emergency Operations Center in response to the shooting, Carter said.

Several nearby residents and parents drove by the taped-off parking lot early evening to look for their children after they were evacuated.

Central High School, which is across the street from the rec center, was locked down after the shooting from about 4:30 to 5:15 p.m., school officials said.

Thursday classes were canceled "to ensure students have time and space to process this traumatic event," Principal Cherise Ayers said in an email to families.

Staff will be at the school to provide support for students and families, and meals will be available for students to pick up. Sports events and after-school activities also are canceled, Ayers said.

She advised anyone who needs to talk with someone to call the main office at 651-744-4900.

Tammie Johnson, a former community recreation specialist who worked at the rec center and lives nearby, said she was upset about the shooting and that more should have been done to prevent it. She said she resigned after she was attacked by a teenage girl.

"It's so sad," Johnson said. "I told them last year if they don't get it under control this was going to happen."