ST PAUL, Minn. — If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.
St. Paul Police are now investigating a shooting that took the lives of two people on April 18 as a murder-suicide case.
On Tuesday, police spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster said squads were dispatched to an apartment building on the 1400 block of Minnehaha Avenue East at 5:43 a.m. Tuesday morning on reports of a shooting. Arriving officers located a woman inside an apartment who had been shot. Despite lifesaving efforts, Ernster said the victim was declared dead on the scene.
While checking out the scene police came upon the body of a man outside in the back of the building who had also been fatally shot. The victims marked St. Paul's 11th and 12th homicides of 2023.
In an update shared on April 21, police identified the victims as a 27-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man, both from St. Paul. Police said the two victims were cousins and investigators believe the young man killed the female victim before taking his own life.
"We want answers for the victims' families, we want answers for the people who live in this building, and we want answers for people who live in this neighborhood and for this city," Ernster told reporters on the day of the shooting.
Ernster also underlined how hard St. Paul PD is working to reduce gun crimes. He said gunshot victims are down 31% from this time last year, and shots fired reports are down 44%. "We have been very intentional about intervening in gun violence," he said.
Police said the investigation "remains active and ongoing."
If you or someone you know is facing a mental health crisis, there is help available from the following resources:
- Crisis Text Line – text “MN” to 741741 (standard data and text rates apply)
- Crisis Phone Number in your Minnesota county
- National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, Talk to Someone Now
- Throughout Minnesota call **CRISIS (**274747)
- The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386
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