St. Cloud shooting suspect arrested

Police say a 37-year-old St. Cloud man is in custody after they say he is suspected of firing a gun while inside a moving vehicle and an apartment complex.

According to St. Cloud police, officers were first called on a report of shots fired on the 600 block of Fifth Street South on Saturday.

A witness told police a man in a vehicle traveling on Fifth Street fired a handgun multiple times in the air from the moving vehicle.

The vehicle wasn’t found after a police search, and no damage or injuries were immediately reported.

The following day, police say they were called to a possible shooting on the 700 block of Ninth Avenue South. Officials say their investigation shows a man fired a handgun inside the apartment building.

No one is believed to be hurt from that shooting, however the building was damaged from the gunfire.

Officials say the suspect in that shooting matched the shooting reported on Fifth Street South, and the suspect was seen leaving the scene in the same type of vehicle.

In addition, police said the vehicle spotted leaving the scene was stolen.

Eventually, police say they identified the 37-year-old suspect, who also had an outstanding warrant for his arrest from the Department of Corrections.

During the overnight hours Monday, police learned the suspect was in an apartment on the 2000 block of 27th Street Southeast in the city.

Due to his previous criminal history, the St. Cloud SWAT Team responded to the scene after a search warrant was obtained. Multiple apartments in the building were evacuated, and at around 6:45 a.m., the SWAT team entered the building and found him inside.

No one was reported injured during the suspect’s arrest. He was taken to the Stearns County Jail and is being held on the warrant and on charges related to the shootings, police said.