ST PAUL, Minn. — Residents of a St. Paul neighborhood said they were in shock after police officers shot and killed a man near their homes Saturday.
"We just moved here and we haven't had problems," one neighbor said. "We haven't had anything like that. It's been calm."
According to police radio traffic obtained from Broadcastify, shots were fired at around 1:45 p.m. Saturday. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the deadly shooting, which took place near the intersection of Bay Street and Watson Avenue, according to St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster.
It's standard procedure in St. Paul to call in the BCA following a shooting involving their officers.
St. Paul Police said officers shot and killed the man who an anonymous tipster believed was at the center of a weeks-long manhunt after allegedly killing his ex-wife. The BCA has not confirmed the man's identity.
Bullet holes now dot the wooden fence of a house on the corner of Bay Street and Tuscarora Avenue. Brothers Nick Berczyk and Cameron Kral live across the street. Berczyk said he witnessed what happened from his window.
"All of a sudden, I heard, 'Pop, pop, pop,'" Berczyk recalled. "There was a big pool of blood running down there."
Kral was not home at the time but said he received a call from Berczyk, who was frantic after witnessing the shooting. Kral and Berczyk were unclear on what exactly led up to the shooting but said they did not hear officers issue any warnings before firing their weapons.
"From what we witnessed, when it happened, there was no warning. There was no 'stop,' no 'police,' no nothing."
"What if there had been kids over there and they just opened fire?" Kral said. "Or if it was this way and my son was outside?"
In a press release, St. Paul Police stated uniformed officers were in marked squad cars as they closed in on the suspect, who they said had a gun.
St. Paul Police said upwards of six officers have been placed on administrative leave. The department said it is working to determine how many of those officers fired their guns.