ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul Police are investigating the city's 20th homicide this year, after a man leaving bible study with his family was fatally shot in the Summit-University neighborhood.
Family members have identified the victim as RayVell Carter of Roseville, and added that he had an 8-year-old daughter, who was present during the shooting.
It happened around 8:40 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Fuller Avenue and St. Albans Street North.
Police say the victim was among a group of people, including his father and young daughter, leaving an evening Bible study held at a nearby church. Someone opened fire on the group hitting Carter, who ran from the area while his father returned fire with a handgun.
Officers soon found a trail of blood leading to Carter, who died despite life-saving efforts from St. Paul Fire medics.
Investigators say Carter's father had a valid permit to carry a firearm. It is unclear whether the shooter was struck when fire was returned.
"It's incomprehensible to think someone would shoot into a group of people leaving a church, in a neighborhood," said St. Paul Police spokesman Steve Linders grimly. "It makes absolutely no sense to any of us."
Mary Peeples lives in the neighborhood and placed flowers on the steps of the church Thursday morning.
"The only thing I can do is pray, and hope to God that they'll drop the gun, and the violence, and all that stuff. The only thing I can do is just pray for them."
David Goodlow is a nearby resident of 50 years and said he heard eight shots from his living room.
"What I seen was a little girl running across the street ... saying, 'They shot my dad. They shot my dad. They shot my dad.'" said Goodlow. "It was unbelievable. She's 8 years old and she was just terrified about her father had just got shot."
Goodlow said his wife found Carter's body right behind their house.
"How do you even think about somebody getting shot and killed, coming out of a Bible study meeting?" he said. "It's just inconceivable for me to think in those terms."
Investigators with the department's Homicide Unit, Gang Unit and Forensic Services Unit are working to determine who is responsible for the city's 20th homicide of the year and sixth in 17 days.
"We've had to do this too many times this month... too many times this year," Linders lamented. "Every single one of these has been a tragedy."
This shooting comes about a week after a string of violence in St. Paul that included three murders in nine hours. That prompted an emergency meeting of city leaders and a big response from the community.
