ST PAUL, Minn. — Five people were shot, two of them fatally, after an argument broke out following a celebration of life event outside Kings Crossing by Episcopal Homes, according to the St. Paul Police Department (SPPD).
"When officers arrived, they found a chaotic scene and learned that not only was there a person who was shot, there were five people who were shot," Sgt. Mike Ernster said.
The shooting came after a funeral repast. Investigators do not believe it was a random incident, according to Ernster, and the motive is unclear at this time.
One of the victims, an adult male, was pronounced dead by St. Paul Fire paramedics while another adult male died at United Hospital, after a private vehicle took him there.
According to SPPD, two victims were taken to Regions Hospital. As of Sunday morning, SPPD said an adult male was in critical condition while an adult female was stable. Another woman was treated at United Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. All the victims had apparent gunshot injuries.
Barbara Bertsch lives in Kings Crossing by Episcopal Homes, which offers affordable housing for seniors. Bertsch told KARE 11 she was in her apartment when she heard continuous gunfire. She lost count of how many shots were fired. When she looked outside her window, she saw a large crowd in the parking lot. Bertsch also witnessed two cars drive by while shooting out of them. Bertsch said the community room where the celebration of life event occurred is open for the public to use which is something she and other residents have expressed concerns about.
It's the second shooting following a funeral in St. Paul in less than 24 hours.
"We are tired of having this press conference; we're tired of the words 'disgusted' and 'senseless' and 'frustrating,' and we're tired of having to figure out how to ... wrap words around violence," said St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter at a press conference Saturday night.
The latest shooting happened outside local businesses in Frogtown Square, including Marla Smith's Consciously Beautiful Salon.
"When bad things like this happen, and tragic things like this happen, we have to stand up and we have to literally show that we are not going to be intimidated by senseless acts of violence to make us feel like we need to move," Smith said. "We're going to continue to serve our community and treat it with respect."
As of Sunday night, SPPD said no arrests had been made. Saturday night's shooting marks the fourth and fifth homicides in the city of St. Paul this year.
The SPPD believes this shooting is unrelated to other ongoing investigations, including Friday night's shooting on the West Side of St. Paul.
This is a developing story. More information will be added as it becomes available.