ST PAUL, Minn. — A 50-year-old St. Paul man has been charged with murder in St. Paul's 35th homicide, a stabbing that killed a man from Georgia.
Brian Harry Kjellberg is charged with second-degree murder in connection to the stabbing death of a 27-year-old man, later identified as Arnell Stewart.
The family of Stewart said he’s been visiting Minnesota – from Atlanta, Georgia – for a couple of months. They say he was a “good guy” who was expecting his first child this spring.
According to police, Stewart was stabbed on the east side of St. Paul the night of Dec. 2 and later died at Regions Hospital.
Officers said they got a 911 call reporting an assault just before 8 p.m. When they arrived at a home on the 1700 block of East 7th Street, they found the victim.
According to police, officers gave Stewart first aid until St. Paul fire medics arrived and rushed him the hospital.
Police are investigating what happened leading up to the altercation. Investigators don't think the incident was random, and say there isn't any threat to the public.
"What we want everyone to know is that we're doing everything we can to interrupt these cycles of violence and get justice for the victims and their families," said Sgt. Natalie Davis, a public information officer for the Saint Paul Police Department.
"Every person killed this year left behind loved ones. Their deaths left scars on our community. And it's hard on our officers, who take these deaths personally."
With this death, the city has passed the record number of homicides recorded in the city last year, making 2021 the deadliest year in St. Paul since 1992.