SOUTH ST PAUL, Minn. — On Tuesday afternoon, South St. Paul Police said a 17-year-old was in police custody after another teen was fatally shot in South St. Paul.
South St. Paul Police Chief Brian Wicke talk KARE 11 that the teen is being held at the Dakota County Juvenile Detention Center.
His name has not been released at this time.
On Monday, police opened a death investigation after 17-year-old Anthony Skelley was found lying in the road after being shot in the chest Sunday night.
An autopsy revealed Skelley's cause of death as homicide due to multiple gunshot wounds.
In a release, police said they responded to a call of shots fired just before 10:45 p.m. Sunday in the 1900 block of Conver Avenue. When they got to the area, officers found a male in the road who had apparently been shot. Officers, South Metro Fire Department and M Health Fairview staff all worked to save the teen, but they were unsuccessful and he was declared dead at the scene.
"Anthony Skelley was a beautiful soul with a cheerful presence and a joyful spirit. A determined and talented spitfire from the time he was a toddler. Anthony filled us with big smiles, lots of love and pure happiness. He lifted up everyone he came in contact with," his family said in a statement. "Anthony’s friends have lost their best friend. They witnessed this violence firsthand. Their young lives will forever be altered. They will be forever changed. For the family members and friends that dearly loved this young man, all of our lives ended on Mother’s Day. The next day we woke up and started a new life without Anthony. We are devastated. We are broken. We are forever altered."
Family and friends tell KARE 11 that Skelley was a junior attending the SPPS Gateway to College program.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to support Skelley's mother, who lost her son on Mother's Day. The family's statement notes that his mother, Leah Burlingame, works for Minnesota Adult and Teen Challenge. "She has dedicated her life to supporting and lifting up others who are struggling," the statement reads.
Police said they don't think the shooting was a random act, and that the public is not in any danger. South St. Paul police, the Minnesota BCA and the Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office are all investigating.
Anyone with information about this fatal shooting is asked to contact the South St. Paul Police Department at (651) 554-3300. Family members are also encouraging anyone with information to contact the BCA tip line at 877-996-6222 or bca.tips@state.mn.us.
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