ST. PAUL (WCCO) – St. Paul Police are investigating a shooting that left a woman dead inside a vehicle.
Officers were called to a valley on the 900 block of East Reaney Avenue shortly before 3 p.m. on reports of shots fired. When they arrived, they found the woman shot to death.
According to police, the woman is between the ages of 19 and 21.
Police said they do not believe this was a random shooting. Now, they are working on determining what to place leading up to the shooting.
“The woman was seated in the vehicle at the time. At this time, it’s unknown who, if anybody was in the vehicle with her. We don’t have a lot of information, don’t have any suspects in custody at this time,” said Howie Padilla of the St. Paul Police. “We’re just really trying to work to piece together what happened in this incident.”
Investigators searched the car for clues as to who was in there with her, and why she was brutally murdered.
Close friends called the victim by her nick name, Nu-Nu. They say the 20-year-old was a good person, and did not deserve to die this way.
At the scene, the crowd grew restless waiting on answers, so police had to call for help so officers could concentrate on their investigation and not crowd control.
“These are people that we know, that we work with. To have to look at a mother and watch her grieve as she is being told that her daughter has been brutally murdered, that’s the hardest part,” said Rev. Darryl Spence.
Spence is president of the God Squad, a group of local clergy dedicated to helping family in times like this. They assisted police with managing the crowd.
“We believe in community policing, we believe the community is the police and the police are the community,” Spence said. “It’s been a long time since we’ve really got this engaged, but we’re back.”
Investigators are working with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office to positively establish the victim’s identity.
No further information is expected until Monday afternoon at the earliest.
