[ad_1]
At least three suspects have been taken into custody, police said.
A woman was killed and 14 others were injured early Sunday when at least three patrons pulled out weapons and opened fire at a popular bar in St. Paul, Minnesota, police said.
The mass shooting erupted inside the Seventh Street Truck Park bar in downtown St. Paul at around 12:15 am, prompting a flood of 911 calls, authorities said.
Steve Linders, a spokesperson for the St. Paul Police Department, said when officers arrived they found a “chaotic scene” with injured people inside and outside the tavern.
“There were gunshot wounds in the street outside the bar,” Linders said at a press conference on Sunday morning. “There were gunshot wounds lying on the sidewalk outside the bar. There were gunshot wounds lying on the floor inside the bar.”
St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said one of the victims, a woman in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene. The police withheld his name pending an autopsy and notification to his relatives.
“My heart breaks for the woman who was killed, her loved ones and everyone who was at this bar this morning,” Axtell said. “In an instant, they found themselves caught in a hell of a situation. I want them to know that we have the best investigators in the country, and we won’t stop until we find those responsible for this madness. We will do our part to hold them accountable. “
Three men injured in the incident have been taken into custody in local hospitals. Police identified the suspects as Terry Lorenzo Brown, Jr., 33, Devondre Trevon Phillips, 29, and Jeffrey Orlando Hoffman, 32. The charges have not yet been determined, but Axtell said the suspects will be held in Ramsey County Jail as soon as they are released from the hospital.
“I hope these arrests will bring a minimum of peace to all those affected by this morning’s tragedy,” Axtell said.
He said the investigation remained active and did not rule out the possibility of further arrests. A possible reason was not disclosed.
Investigators were still interviewing witnesses and collecting evidence Sunday afternoon inside and outside the bar, which is about a block from the city’s Xcel Energy Center, home of the Minnesota Wild National Hockey League team.
Saint-Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said in a Twitter post that the shooting had left his community “devastated.”
The fatal shooting marked the 32nd homicide in St. Paul this year, according to police department crime statistics. In 2020, there were a total of 34 homicides in St. Paul, a 13.3% increase from 2019.
“As our St. Paul agents work to detain those responsible for these senseless acts, our work to develop more proactive security strategies is more urgent than ever,” Carter said. “We will never accept violence in our community.”
[ad_2]
Source link