Ramsey County sheriff's deputies investigating a "suspicious" RV parked in an industrial area in Vadnais Heights Sunday night fatally shot a man inside the vehicle.
Four deputies were placed on paid administrative leave following the 9:32 p.m. shooting in the 3200 block of Fanum Road. Authorities haven't said why shots were fired, and the victim's identity has yet to be released.
But the beat-up camper with a makeshift plywood door was a fixture in the area. Tom Dobihal, who works at Spriggs Plumbing and Heating Co., said he first saw the camper parked on a frontage road in St. Paul in the fall.
"When I saw him on the frontage road, I thought, 'Gee, I hope that guy's OK,' " Dobihal said. "Maybe he fell on hard times."
A few weeks ago, he said, the distinctive camper was parked outside of Midwest Art and Frame Inc. next door. Curt Kellett, the owner of Midwest Art and Framing Inc., said he first noticed the RV parked several days ago, but never saw the man associated with it.
Dobihal, who drove past the camper every morning and evening for months, said he saw a man, presumably the owner, working on the camper on occasion when it was parked in St. Paul, but never interacted with him. It's unclear if the victim of Sunday's shooting is the same person.
"We haven't had any problems with him," Dobihal said.
An employee of another area business said the camper belonged to a man who worked at one of the other businesses nearby, and that he lived with his girlfriend.
