2-year-old gravely wounded in St. Paul shooting

Police investigate a shooting in St. Paul.
Investigators stand near the back yard of a home at on Maryland Avenue West in St. Paul.
Tim Nelson | MPR News

Updated: 3:30 p.m. | Posted: 6:54 a.m.

Authorities are investigating a shooting in St. Paul's North End Monday morning that left three people wounded, including a 2-year-old girl.

St. Paul police said officers patrolling the area heard several gunshots just after midnight, while several 911 callers reported the shots came from a residence on the 200 block of Maryland Avenue West, the department said.

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When officers arrived at the scene, they found three wounded. Shawn Vang, 23, and Lee Lor, 27, suffered non-lethal injuries, the police said.

The girl, however, was described as gravely wounded, with life-threatening injuries. She is currently in critical condition.

A neighbor, Dennis Hudson, told MPR News that the girl's father came to his door, begging for help for his daughter. Hudson said he could see a bullet wound in her forehead and feared she was gravely hurt.

"My 3-year-old granddaughter plays with this girl, this child," Hudson said. "She asked me this morning, 'Papa, was that my friend?' So, I don't know what to tell her."

Hudson and another neighbor reported hearing as many as 30 shots, in three different volleys, from what sounded like three different guns.

St. Paul police said while they've brought some witnesses in for questioning, "others have been uncooperative."

There also appears to be "a connection between the shooter or shooters and at least one of the victims. The exact nature of their relationship remains under investigation," the agency added.

Investigators are still working to determine what led to the shooting and who is responsible. Anyone with information should call the St. Paul police homicide Unit at 651-266-5650.