North St. Paul man charged in teen’s fatal shooting
A 24‑year‑old man has been charged in Ramsey County with fatally shooting a teenager inside a North St. Paul apartment after an argument over a sweatshirt, according to a newly filed criminal complaint. Prosecutors say the dispute escalated in the unit before the man allegedly pulled a gun and shot the victim, who died despite emergency response. The complaint details witness accounts from inside the apartment, cites the recovery of a firearm, and lays out the suspect’s statements to police. The killing adds to this year’s violent‑crime toll in Ramsey County and again raises questions about how quickly minor disputes in cramped metro housing situations are turning lethal when guns are present.
📌 Key Facts
- Location: Shooting occurred inside a North St. Paul apartment in Ramsey County.
- Victim: Teenage boy who died after being shot during an argument over a sweatshirt.
- Defendant: 24‑year‑old man now charged in Ramsey County District Court with murder and related counts, based on a detailed criminal complaint citing witness statements and firearm evidence.
📊 Relevant Data
The racial makeup of North St. Paul, Minnesota, has shifted from 81.2% White, 7.0% Black, and 6.6% Asian in 2010 to approximately 58.5% White, 9.5% Black, and 21.8% Asian in recent data, reflecting demographic diversification in this suburb.
North St. Paul, Minnesota — Wikipedia
In Minnesota, the firearm homicide victimization rate for Black residents was 22.5 per 100,000 in 2023, compared to 1.4 per 100,000 for White residents, a disparity of about 16 times higher.
Gun Death in Minnesota — Violence Policy Center
Nationally, approximately 89% of homicides involving Black victims are committed by Black offenders, indicating a high intra-racial pattern in such crimes.
In Minnesota, Black individuals comprise about 7% of the population but accounted for 72% of identified murder perpetrators in 2022, resulting in a per capita perpetration rate approximately 29 times higher than for White individuals.
The demographics of crime in Minnesota, with updated 2022 data — American Experiment
The poverty rate for Black Minnesotans is 25%, compared to the statewide rate of about 9%, a disparity that may contribute to socioeconomic contexts in crime patterns.
Poverty trends in Minnesota — MN Compass
The recidivism rate for federal firearms offenders is 68.1% within eight years of release, higher than the average for other offenders.
Recidivism — United States Sentencing Commission
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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