A man reportedly shot in one part of St. Paul before driving away turned up dead in a vehicle near the State Capitol soon afterward, said police, who announced an arrest late Tuesday morning.
Police were called about 7:30 p.m. Monday to the 500 block of Front Avenue in the city’s North End by a man who reported being assaulted while in a vehicle, a statement from police read.
The caller added that he shot the man who was assaulting him and may have wounded him, the statement continued. Police said the man got in a red vehicle and left.
A brief time later, the vehicle crashed about 2 miles away at the intersection of E. 12th and Cedar streets, just south of the Capitol, according to police.
“An adult male with a gunshot injury was located inside of the red vehicle,” the statement read. “He was unconscious and not breathing.”
Authorities identified the deceased man Tuesday as 26-year-old Tajai Evans of St. Paul.
Police said passersby assisted officers in tending to Evans and Fire Department medics soon arrived, but he was declared dead at the scene. Officials have yet to release his identity.
The caller was arrested and identified by police as a 25-year-old man from Minneapolis. He’s being held on suspicion of second-degree murder. The Minnesota Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.
