Sarah Wierstad had dreams of becoming a chef someday. But Sunday night, as the 24-year-old single mother made her way home from work on St. Paul's East Side, she was shot and killed just steps from her front door.
Police were called to the intersection of Beaumont Street E. and N. Bedford Street in the Railroad Island area about 8 p.m. and found Wierstad lying on the ground near the road. She was taken to Regions Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
On Monday, as police were working to confirm identification of the body, friends identified Wierstad as the victim.
"It's just a really hard day," said JoAnn Richardson, the campus dining director at the Alton Memory Care assisted living facility in St. Paul, where Wierstad worked.
Wierstad, who loved working with the elderly, was at the facility until about 7 p.m. Sunday, Richardson said.
Wierstad also worked for A'viands food services management company and was studying at Le Cordon Bleu, said her friend Jess Cimbura. Wierstad was focused on school, work and her 5-year-old daughter, Cimbura said.
"She had a big heart," Cimbura said.
A vigil was planned for Wierstad Monday night.
