A 28-year-old woman described as homeless was fatally shot in the head Tuesday evening while waiting at a bus shelter at a busy south Minneapolis street corner, authorities said.
Police said Wednesday morning there have been no arrests in the shooting, which occurred shortly after sunset Tuesday on E. Lake Street at Park Avenue S., next to a Shell gas station.
The woman, identified in a police report as Jessica Denise St. Marie, of Wadena, Minn., suffered "multiple gunshot wounds" and was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center in critical condition, authorities said. She later died, police spokesman John Elder said Wednesday.
"Detectives believe that a dispute occurred between the victim and another individual [and] escalated to a point where the suspect shot the victim," said Elder, who did not reveal a motive for the violence. "The suspect fled the scene and is not in custody at this time."
St. Marie's mother said Jessica was living "primarily in the metro area" at the time of her death. Jane Erckenbrack said she has yet to hear from authorities any specifics regarding the death of her daughter. Police Wednesday said St. Marie was homeless.
Erckenbrack said she and her husband adopted four children, including Jessica when she was 8 years old. Erckenbrack worked for Arlington County, Va., in child protection and her husband, who died two years ago, was an attorney who specialized in child abuse and neglect. The family moved to Wadena, Erckenbrack's hometown, when Jessica was 11.
"I really don't know what she was doing," Erckenbrack said. "Her life was very difficult. There was a hurt little girl in there for all her bravado."
Shortly after gunfire erupted, witnesses reported seeing a vehicle screeching away down a narrow alley across the street from the gas station. Detectives arrived and picked through the shattered glass on the asphalt next to the bus shelter looking for shell casings and other evidence.
