Five arrested in connection with gunfire outside St. Paul RiverCentre
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St. Paul police say five people were arrested Thursday in connection with gunfire outside the RiverCentre complex on May 4 that left two people injured.
The arrests came after search warrants were executed in Lakeville, Prior Lake, Minnetonka and Brooklyn Park. Authorities also recovered several guns.
Court documents say the shooting involved members of two gangs who fired at each other along Kellogg Boulevard and nearby.
“Prevention is always our gold medal. We want to prevent any of these things from happening,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said at a Thursday afternoon news conference announcing the arrests. “But if you’re going to bring a gun into our city and you’re going to shoot at people, we are going to hold you accountable.”
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The gunfire happened while many people were leaving a college graduation at RiverCentre. Henry said one of the two people wounded in the shooting is now among those facing charges.
Henry gave credit to cooperation between his department and other law enforcement agencies — including the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Joe Persails, special agent in charge for the ATF’s Saint Paul Field Division, said agents and officers executing the warrants on Thursday recovered at least one gun equipped with a machine gun conversion device.
“These devices are illegal under federal law. Full stop,” he said. “They are small, they are cheap, and they’re designed to do one thing: turn a semi-automatic pistol into a weapon that can fire rapidly, continuously and uncontrolled. They have no lawful purpose.”
St. Paul police officials said it was challenging case to investigate given the number of people involved, and the amount of video and cell phone evidence. The department’s Non-Fatal Shooting Unit was part of that investigation — something noted by St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her.
“This investigation is a testament to the work of our Non-Fatal Shooting Unit and to why we need a fully-funded statewide approach,” Her said in a statement about Thursday’s arrests. “The individuals arrested today for violence in our city do not reside here, yet our city is still responsible for conducting the investigation and bringing them to justice.
“Next legislative session, I hope to see our state invest in expanding this program beyond Ramsey County and St. Paul to help interrupt violence before it happens and reaches our communities.”
