3 arrested in connection to St. Paul shooting that killed 1, injured 14
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Three people were arrested in connection to the bar shooting that left one woman dead and 14 people injured early Sunday morning in downtown St. Paul.
At about 12:15 a.m. Sunday, officers responded to a shooting on the 200 block of 7th Street West near the Xcel Energy Center. There, they found what St. Paul police spokesperson Steve Linders called a "hellish" scene, with people lying on the ground outside and inside the Seventh Street Truck Park bar.
Twenty-seven-old Marquisha Wiley was killed in the shooting and at least 14 were injured. They are expected to survive.
Four of victims are being treated at Regions Hospital, three at United Hospital, and seven at Hennepin County Medical Center, Linders told media early Sunday morning.
3 arrested in connection to shootings
At about noon Sunday, police announced they have arrested three men in connection with the shootings. The men, ages 29, 32 and 33, are in custody at the hospital where they are being treated for injuries suffered during the incident. Once they are released from the hospital, they will be brought to Ramsey County jail.
If you have any information, contact St. Paul police at 651-266-5650. This is the city's 32nd homicide of the year.
Witnesses recall the shooting
Lucas Knutson, who lives above the bar, said late Saturday night he heard four loud bangs followed by nine more.
"It was kind of surreal never seen anything like that before in real life outside of TV," Knutson said. "People were laying in the middle of the streets until the ambulance got here."
"I was like, ‘Are those gunshots?’ and then I took a look out the window and saw these people running through the streets." he added. "People were bringing people up to the cops saying, 'help me help me.'"
Inside the bar with a dozen friends at the time, Jack Larson heard the same thing.
"We all ducked down and there was like five shots that came off, and then there was a second of silence. And then a bunch more shots rang off," Larson said.
At the bar celebrating a friend’s birthday, the 22-year-old and many others, are just thankful to be alive.
"There was a guy right next to me that got shot, got shot in the leg. His leg blocked the bullet from hitting me in the chest or the head," Larson said. "It’s just crazy… two feet to either side of me people got shot. It’s hard to process."
"It happened in 30 seconds, like it was so quick," he said.
Knutson said he saw a girl that was brought out, who he said may have been the one who passed away.
"There was like four or five people that carried her out into the middle of the road here asking for help," he said.
Statement from Police Chief Todd Axtell
"My heart breaks for the woman who was killed, her loved ones and everyone else who was in that bar this morning," said Saint Paul Chief of Police Todd Axtell. "In an instant, they found themselves caught in a hellish situation. I want them to know that we have the best investigators in the country, and we won’t stop until we find the people responsible for this madness. We will do our part to hold them accountable."
Statement from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter
"Our community is devastated by the shooting scenes from last night. As our St. Paul officers work to bring those responsible for these senseless acts into custody, our work to build more proactive and comprehensive public safety strategies is more urgent than ever. We will never accept violence in our community," Mayor Carter wrote.
Statement from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz
"Horrific. Minnesota is keeping in our hearts the family of the young woman killed and the 14 others injured, and the St. Paul neighborhood reeling from this senseless gun violence," Gov. Walz wrote. "We’re working in close coordination with local law enforcement as they apprehend those responsible."
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