The shooting death of a 20-year-old St. Paul Park man over the weekend was apparently accidental.
Regino "Gino" M. Nitti was identified as the victim of the shooting at an apartment reported at 1:45 a.m. Saturday. A preliminary investigation has found that an acquaintance of Nitti's accidentally shot him, according to Mike Monahan, St. Paul Park police chief.
Guns were found at the apartment in the 1100 block of Fifth Street about a block from Oltman Middle School, and the case remains under investigation. Findings of the inquiry will be reviewed for possible charges.
A woman who answered the door at the apartment where Nitti lived declined to comment. Remnants of melted candles from a Sunday memorial vigil remained on a sidewalk outside the building, along with a large sign honoring the young man signed by family and friends.
In a statement e-mailed to the Star Tribune on Monday, Sophia Moreno, Nitti's older sister, said her brother was the youngest of four children and the only boy. "We hope that Regino's death will help people understand that gun safety is extremely important," Moreno wrote. .
Jim Anderson
