ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Alayna Baggenstoss had just returned to her apartment building late Wednesday afternoon when she noticed a commotion in an alleyway across the street.
"We heard people arguing. There was a group of people out on the street," Baggenstoss said. "I heard something that sounded initially like firecrackers, then just consistent pops going off."
She rushed toward the scene.
"There was a kid on the ground already, and a bunch of people had run away," Baggenstoss said. "It all happened really, really fast."
According to St. Cloud Police, that person on the ground — a 21-year-old man — had been shot in the head. Three other people had been hit by bullets, too, in a shootout that involved "handguns from multiple shooters." While police declined a request for an on-camera interview, they said in an updated news release Thursday that a "heated verbal altercation" between two groups led up to the shooting, and that "it appears to be related to a physical fight that had occurred the previous evening between the two groups."
The 21-year-old has been released from the hospital, police say, while the three other young victims are reportedly in "serious but stable condition." All were males between the ages of 15 and 21.
"Finding out there were three others I didn't see," Baggenstoss said, "was absolutely heart-wrenching."
With four victims involved, it's the largest shooting of the year in St. Cloud. Police told KARE 11 that the city has seen just one homicide this year, with two arrested in connection to that incident.
However, St. Cloud recorded five homicides last year, the highest total in recent years for the city of 70,000.
"The shooting we saw here in St. Cloud, and what we're seeing all across the state, is too much violence and not enough cops," said DFL Representative Dan Wolgamott, the Assistant Majority Leader in the House who represents the area. "That shooting happened just about a mile away from our house. That could have been just as easy in our neighborhood. It's unacceptable. It is a direct threat to the safety of our families."
This spring, Wolgamott and Republican colleague Rep. Tama Thei stood with St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis and St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson to push for legislation that would bolster police department staffing. Wolgamott's bill would offer bonuses of up to $10,000 for recruitment and retainment of officers, while also pouring dollars into training and scholarship programs for law enforcement.
Wolgamott said the bill was included in final negotiations of the public safety bill, but lawmakers adjourned in May without passing the measure.
"We need to work together in a bipartisan manner to make sure we're investing in getting more cops on the streets," he said.
Police have not made any arrests in Wednesday's shooting, which occurred about a block from the campus of St. Cloud State University.
“We can confirm that this isolated incident did not involve St. Cloud State University students," the school said in a statement to KARE 11. "At this time, there is no continued threat for our campus or the community. Out of an abundance of caution, however, SCSU Public Safety personnel will continue to work closely with the St. Cloud Police Department to provide an increased patrol presence on our campus and in nearby neighborhoods.”
People who live near the scene of the shooting said the neighborhood houses a mix of students and non-students.
"Yeah, very close to home," Alayna Baggenstoss said. "I think if this would have happened during the school year, there could have been a lot more damage done."
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