Man killed in shooting at St. Paul house and police chief, out on patrol, responds
By Mara H. Gottfried
A man was killed in a rare daytime shooting in a St. Paul house on Monday, police said.
Police were told the Payne-Phalen residence was being used as an Airbnb rental and, based on initial information, they heard there was a party going on, according to Steve Linders, a St. Paul police spokesman
Police Chief Todd Axtell, who patrols as his schedule allows, was on the streets Monday and responded to the shooting with other officers about 10:30 a.m. They found the man in a bedroom on Sims Avenue near Earl Street. He appeared to be shot in the chest.
Axtell has said, since he became police chief three years ago, that addressing gun violence is his top priority.
“It’s a sad … day that one of the first calls on patrol … happens to be somebody who has been injured by gunfire and it really … touches me on a personal level as to why this is so important to make sure we do everything we can to curb gun violence in the city of St. Paul,” Axtell said.
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