A shooting at a funeral in Minneapolis and back-to-back homicides in St. Paul over the weekend have loved ones and investigators grappling with ongoing violence across the Twin Cities in the new year.
Within about 24 hours in St. Paul, two women were killed in separate incidents. One woman was fatally shot during an argument in the North End neighborhood and another woman was beaten to death in nearby Como neighborhood. Suspects have been arrested in both cases.
St. Paul police have reason to believe both cases were a result of domestic violence with arguments leading up to the homicides. Police spokesman Steve Linders urged women in abusive relationships to seek help.
"Sadly in these cases, it's too late for the victims," Linders said. "Maybe someone is out there that will see this and know there is help available. ... They don't have to suffer in silence or alone and continue to be victimized. "
The St. Paul & Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project is available around the clock at 651-645-2824. Those outside Ramsey County can call the Minnesota Domestic Violence Crisis Line at 1-866-223-1111.
The beating death of the St. Paul woman on Sunday was the city's fifth homicide this year and the third in a week.
St. Paul is outpacing the number of homicides in Minneapolis, which recorded its third homicide Thursday in a drive-by shooting that killed a man and injured two others.
"The last two years have been incredibly tragic," Linders said. "Two years ago, we tied the record of homicides. Last year, we broke it. And this year already we've seen five people lose their lives. So it's something that we just need to disrupt."
