Metro Transit passenger shot on light rail train during robbery

1 hurt in light rail train shooting in St. Paul

A man was left injured by a shooting Saturday night aboard a Metro Transit train in St. Paul near the Roberts Street Station.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A passenger was shot during a robbery on a Metro Transit light rail train in St. Paul Saturday night, police said.

St. Paul and Metro Transit police responded to the area of East 12th Street and Robert Street at about 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3 on a report that a man had been shot while on the train.

The 27-year-old man suffered an apparent gunshot wound to his stomach, police said.

The victim told police he was robbed while on the train when the shooting happened, and then the suspect ran off the train.

"As far as I’m concerned, this is the first incident that we had where someone was shot on the train," Metro Transit Police Chief Ernest Morales III said.

"While this isn’t an easy incident to get over, transit is still getting safer, numbers will prove that," Morales later added.

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A man was shot during a robbery on a light rail train in St. Paul on Saturday.

Metro Transit police and St. Paul police searched the area of the shooting, using canines and a state patrol helicopter, around 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Ultimately, officers were unable to find the suspect who had run away.

"There’s video [of the shooting]," Morales said on Sunday. "I’m confident that this case will be solved in a timely manner."

The shooting happened near the Robert Street Station, and the victim was rushed to Regions Hospital, where he’s expected to survive.

Back on the green line on Sunday, some riders were aware of what had happened the night before, "I was sad, not entirely shocked," regular rider Jackson Hampton said.

After six years of regular Metro Transit use, Hampson says he’s seen plenty of drug use and erratic behavior on board, "I have felt uncomfortable… I tell my sister to not ride it," Hampton told FOX 9.

In recent months, he has seen improvements after efforts to increase the law enforcement presence along the system. But Hampton still feels authorities have a ways to go. "I hope it gets better. I hope this is a wake-up call for Metro Transit Police to make those investments."

The St. Paul Police Department has taken the lead on this investigation, but as of Sunday, no arrests had been made.