A man was shot in the leg early Thursday outside an apartment building near St. Paul City Hall, and as of Thursday afternoon, police had made no arrests. Officers responded to the area near Wabasha Street North and Fourth Street East after a woman reported that her boyfriend had been shot, according to police. The victim was found with a gunshot wound to the leg outside the apartment complex, and police say his injuries are not life-threatening.
The shooting was reported near St. Paul City Hall, as first reported by CBS Minnesota. The station reports that police remain in the early stages of an open and active investigation and are working to identify a suspect. The National Park Service lists 1912 as a significant date for St. Paul's Commerce Building.
Regions Hospital on Jackson Street is a Level I trauma center serving Ramsey County and the East Metro, according to HealthPartners. It was Minnesota's first verified Level I trauma center for both adults and children. The victim's treatment location was unclear, while his wound was not considered life-threatening.
A Downtown Corridor Already Under Watch
This is not the first violent incident along the downtown Fourth Street corridor this year. On April 30, a fatal shooting in an apartment on the 200 block of East Seventh Street led to second-degree murder charges against Michael Cordell Garland, who had a prior manslaughter conviction, a case Hoodline covered in its piece on the downtown killing charge.
Nonfatal Shooting Investigations
The Minnesota House of Representatives has described coordination among police, prosecutors and crime analysts in nonfatal-shooting investigations. St. Paul's nonfatal-shooting clearance rate rose from 37% in 2023 to 71% in 2024. A Minnesota House proposal, HF2742, included an unspecified appropriation and was held over by committee, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Potential Charges If a Suspect Is Identified
Should investigators identify and arrest a suspect, Minnesota law treats assault with a firearm as second-degree assault, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a $14,000 fine, or up to 10 years if the victim suffers substantial bodily harm, per the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes.
The St. Paul Police Department's general non-emergency number is 651-291-1111. For now, the motive behind Thursday's shooting and whether the victim knew the shooter remain open questions as the investigation continues.
