Funeral set for Oakdale child shot to death

Memorial
A handwritten memorial to Devin Aryal, 9, lies amid stuffed animals and balloons left at the scene of the shooting rampage that killed him Monday, Feb. 11, 2013.
MPR Photo/Tim Nelson

Funeral services are scheduled today for the 9-year-old boy killed in an Oakdale shooting last week.

Devin Aryal, 9, was shot to death when a gunman opened fire on traffic in a residential neighborhood in the St. Paul suburb of Oakdale. He was in a minivan with his mother when bullets hit their vehicle.

Aryal's mother, Melissa, and another Oakdale woman in the van were also hit, and treated for their wounds.

Melissa said her son loved math and science and wanted to be an astronaut. His funeral is being held at Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Oakdale, and he's going to be buried in the church cemetery.

Police arrested a 34-year-old Oakdale man near the shooting. They found a gun nearby and Nhan Tran was carrying hundreds of rounds of ammunition. He is being held in the Washington County jail on $2 million bail and faces two murder and four felony assault charges.

Tran has been ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation.

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