Two people were shot in St. Paul Monday following a stretch of violence in the metro the last several days that ended with two homicides in the capital city.

St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders said the motives in the Monday shootings are under investigation, and that it's unknown whether they could be related to two recent homicides in the city or other nonfatal shootings.

According to Linders and police reports: A 29-year-old man was shot in the woods near railroad tracks behind the Union Gospel Mission about 12:30 p.m.

An off-duty police officer was working at Regions Hospital when the victim walked into the hospital with a gunshot wound to one of his legs. He told the officer that he had been shot in the woods shortly before he arrived at the hospital.

Linders said that the victim did not want to divulge more information. The shooting occurred behind the ministry's men's campus at 435 University Av. E.

A 38-year-old man was shot in the left thigh about 3:30 p.m. in the 100 block of Isabel Street East.

A woman at the scene said that she was out in the yard with friends when four suspects walked up. The group was talking loudly and swearing.

They argued with the woman's brother and his friends, and then several gunshots were fired.

Friends drove the victim to Regions Hospital, where he was treated for noncritical injuries. A 17-year-old boy was arrested in the case, Linders said.

Seventeen other people were shot in a five-day span in Minneapolis and St. Paul.

In St. Paul, Dawahn Darnell Littles, 38, of St. Paul, was fatally shot about 5 a.m. Saturday. Brandon Christopher Roberts, 31, was fatally shot about 2 a.m. Sunday.

Police have said they do not believe the two homicides are related.

Chao Xiong • 612-270-4708

Twitter: @ChaoStrib