Police reviewing security video at St. Paul College

Saint. Paul College
Officers question a man as students are evacuated from Saint Paul College after a man was reported to have a gun at the college Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.
MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson

One day after reports of a man with a gun led to a temporary lockdown of St. Paul College, police officials are reviewing video footage in an effort to locate the suspect.

The lockdown began at the technical college just before noon on Tuesday, after a student reported hearing a man on the elevator who was upset over something related to his financial aid. The witness then reported the man reached up near the elevator's ceiling and pulled down what the witness thought was a gun.

Campus security and police officials completed a thorough building search, and did not locate anyone with a gun. The college was reopened later that day, and is operating on a normal schedule today.

Investigators have begun to examine video footage from security cameras, but they expect that the process could be lengthy.

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"You're talking about multiple cameras, multiple entrances, multiple exits, those sorts of things," said St. Paul Police spokesperson Paul Schnell.

Schnell said investigators suspect the individual is a student, but have no further leads in the case.

An earlier possible suspect has been ruled out. Police received a tip yesterday from a community member who said that a young man they knew had left for school in the morning with a gun and was upset. Schnell said the man was interviewed and was not connected to the incident.

"It's an ongoing investigation. We have nothing to suggest that there's any immediate or direct threats to staff or students at St. Paul College."

St. Paul College is located at Marshall Ave. and John Ireland Blvd., just north of the St. Paul Cathedral.