Residents of St. Paul disturbed by police shooting, rising crime
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN (WCCO) — A police shooting in St. Paul’s North End neighborhood Saturday night has added to some neighbors’ perception of the area as being crime-ridden.
Kevin Barrett says Saturday was the kind of night that makes his customers at Dar’s Double Scoop feel unsafe. There were police lights and caution tape in the parking lot next door to his ice cream shop.
“I can hear police yelling, ‘Don’t do it! Don’t do it! Stop! Stop!’ Female’s voice. I could hear a male’s voice yelling, too. And then right after that I heard two large pops,” Barrett said.
Officers had been searching for a suspect in connection to a nearby domestic incident earlier in the evening. The man was later found hiding inside a dumpster, but eventually exited after officers used a chemical weapon on him. An officer then shot the man at least two times when he exited the receptacle and ran toward them. Police say electroshock weapons and a K-9 officer were also deployed on the suspect at points during the struggle.
Neighbor Arielle Miller said her boyfriend saw that when the man got out of the dumpster, he wasn’t wearing any clothes.
“Me and my boyfriend were obviously freaking the hell out because it happened in our backyard,” Miller said.
Police shooting or not, Miller says she has kept her small children inside since June because of the frequent gunfire she hears by her home.
Citywide, St. Paul police data shows the number of shots fired this year is more than double what it was at this point last year. Homicides have also matched 2019’s total with a month left in the year.
“What if my kids were playing outside and suddenly there’s a drive-by and one of my kids got shot?” Miller said. “This is the kind of thing I have to think about now. I don’t want to, but I don’t really have a choice.”
Barrett lives just four blocks away from the shooting.
“I hear [gunshots] at home, I hear it here. I’ve been just on edge,” Barrett said.
The shooting victim is in stable condition as of Sunday night. No officers were hurt in Saturday night’s shooting.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating. WCCO asked the BCA if the suspect was armed. A spokesperson said they will give more information after they have finished interviewing everyone involved.
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