Star Tribune
Man shot and injured by co-worker at St. Paul post office
A man was left with life-threatening injuries Sunday after police say a co-worker shot him at a St. Paul post office.
A little before 3:30 p.m. Sunday, officers were called to the Elway post office, 1715 W. 7th St., on a report of a person shot inside the building, according to a statement from St. Paul police.
Officers found a man with multiple gunshot wounds. He was take to Regions Hospital.
Police say they arrested the suspect about an hour later during a traffic stop near W. 7th and Madison streets.
Police said it appears the victim and the suspect knew each other as co-workers.
In a statement, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said it was working with local law enforcement to investigate the shooting and that there was no ongoing threat to the public. The post office is closed to the general public on Sundays.
Police squads were at the scene Sunday afternoon, and the post office parking lot was blocked off with police tape.
As the Lynx battled the New York Liberty in their second game in the best-of-five series, a group of fans paced around the Fitspace gym in St. Louis Park, their heart rates elevated along with thousands of other Lynx fans across Minnesota.
They hoped their team could pull out of an early deficit for a second come-from-behind victory. But, the watch party ended on a disappointing note with the Lynx falling 80-66. Still, Lynx fanatics, perched on treadmills and stair climbers, were upbeat throughout the game.
“I want this for them so bad,” said Nancy Johnson of Minneapolis. As a longtime season ticket holder, she has gotten to know some Lynx players. She used to sit courtside with her mother, Marion, who died two years ago.
On Sunday, Johnson wore a T-shirt of her mother pictured cheering at a Lynx game. She said she felt close to her mom watching games.
“It’s cool to feel so alive with my mom right now,” Johnson said as she waved a rally towel in the air.
Nancy Johnson, whose mother Marion was an ardent fan, roots for the Lynx in St. Louis Park, on Sunday. (Richard Tsong-Taatariii)
During a commercial break, Johnson and fellow fan Nancy Campbell of Chanhassen took turns spinning a basketball on their fingers as Adam Winters of Wayzata egged them on.
“My heart is pounding, and it’s only the beginning of the game,” Campbell said.
Campbell and other longtime fans hope to see another championship for the team. She said she was thrilled to see more people paying attention to the WNBA this season, after Caitlin Clark mania and the Olympics brought more fans to the women’s game.
A man was fatally shot in St. Paul’s North End neighborhood Saturday night, according to police, marking the city’s 21st homicide of the year.
St. Paul Police responded to reports of a person shot at an area near the intersection of Wheelock Parkway and Woodbridge Street around 10 p.m. Saturday. They found a man with gunshot wounds lying on the ground near the intersection.
St. Paul Police aided the man until St. Paul Fire Department medics arrived. The man was pronounced dead shortly after he arrived at Regions Hospital.
Police are seeking information that could help identify what happened and who is responsible. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will identify the victim.
Some people called 911 after a loved one overdosed. Others are struggling with anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Still others wanted help convincing their teenagers to go to school.
No matter the circumstances, the Bloomington Police Department has a new goal: to get them a therapy appointment within one to two days of their call.
“I don’t know of another agency in the country that is doing this,” Police Chief Booker Hodges said.
After George Floyd’s murder in 2020 provoked an international debate on policing, some departments boosted their efforts to partner with social workers. Other cities, such as Minneapolis, contracted with community organizations to send mental health experts to some 911 calls.
The Bloomington Police Department hired two licensed marriage and family therapists to meet with people for free in their homes, at the local government center or virtually in telehealth appointments. It’s since brought on two interns from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota to help boost the division and supply students with the clinical hours they need to graduate. The therapists work to help stabilize people in crisis, with the goal of getting them into long-term therapy, if it’s needed.
“Once somebody is in crisis, we have to strike while the iron is hot to get them to engage in services,” said Luke Campbell, the therapist who oversees Bloomington Community Brain Health Services.
But doing that was often simpler said than done. The city estimates that 4,200 residents are uninsured, and even people who are insured often told police they faced wait times of eight to 10 weeks to see a therapist.
In the first seven months of the pilot program, the therapists received 44 referrals from police officers, the social workers who already partner with officers, or local schools. The program is meant to be a short-term solution that helps people until they can get into longer-term treatment.
