Gunman fatally shot himself after wounding two in St. Paul

Police say a man exchanged gunfire with officers in a busy grocery store on the east side of St. Paul on Friday afternoon before fleeing to another store and fatally shooting himself. 

Two bystanders received minor injuries during the pursuit. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said it was “nothing short of a miracle” that no one else was killed during the incident. 

“Some really, really good work by our St. Paul police officers, who responded immediately, who put themselves in harm’s way, who brought people to safety and who undoubtedly stood between our city and a much worse outcome that could have occurred,” Carter said. 

Officers were called to a home shortly before noon on reports that a man had fired a gun and pistol-whipped someone, according to St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry. When officers arrived, they learned that the man had left the home with a small child. 

Henry said officers found the man about five blocks away inside of the Aldi’s grocery store with the child. He said the man “assaulted” officers and then pulled a gun as he tried to flee. Both police officers and the man fired their weapons inside the store, but no one there was injured. The child was recovered by officers. 

Police said the man, who has not yet been identified, left the store and fled officers on foot in the direction of a nearby Cub Foods at Maryland Avenue East and Clarence Street. Two adult women who were bystanders sustained non-life threatening injuries from gunshots; Henry said it doesn’t appear officers were firing their weapons at the time the women were injured. 

The man was spotted by an officer entering the Cub Foods grocery store. Police evacuated the store and readied SWAT, negotiations and a rescue team to enter. Henry said officers were negotiating with the man for about ten minutes when he shot himself. He was declared dead at the scene. 

“I also want to give a special thanks to the people who live, shop and recreate on the east side. There were dozens and dozens of people out at all these locations, and they responded heroically, they got out of the way, they listened to the commands of the officers directing them to safety,” Henry said. “Our community responded in a very heroic fashion themselves.” 

The shootings will be investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Officers involved in the shooting were wearing body cameras, which a police spokesperson said will be released by the department sometime next week.

Officers involved in the shooting have been put on administrative leave while the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates.

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