Man accused of shooting coworker at the Post Office in St. Paul ‘at least 5 times’

A man has been charged with shooting someone at a U.S. Post Office location in St. Paul on Sunday.

Tewabe Semu Getachew, 28, faces one count of attempted second-degree murder.

As previously reported by 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS, St. Paul officers responded to the post office of the 1700 block of West 7th Street on a report of a shooting on Sunday afternoon.

According to a criminal complaint filed Tuesday, an employee had called 911 after finding his supervisor had been shot several times. The victim asked the employee to call the police, and the employee put the call on speakerphone.

Court documents state that when asked who had shot him, the victim replied, “Tewabe. Tewabe left. Talk to Tewabe.” The victim later identified Getachew as the suspect to officers on the scene.

Officers recovered 12 spent casings from the scene. The victim was brought to the hospital in critical condition with “at least five gunshot wounds to his body, mostly to his back,” court documents state.

Prosecutors note that the victim is “miraculously in stable condition” and will undergo another surgery Tuesday.

Investigators learned that Getachew had worked at the post office earlier in the day. Surveillance video showed his vehicle leaving the post office minutes before the 911 call came in.

A coworker described Getachew as “weird” and having mental health issues. He also reportedly sometimes refused to do his job and argued with the supervisor.

Neighbors told police that they suspected Getachew was an alcoholic and that he often spoke of needing a gun and getting a license for one.

Officers arrested Getachew about an hour after the shooting and found blood on his shoe, court documents state. In a search warrant of his home, police found a firearm that had the same kind of ammunition as the spent casings found at the scene.

In a police interview, investigators noted that Getachew smelled of alcohol and he admitted to drinking when he got home from work.

Getachew admitted to owning a firearm and having a permit to carry and said he bought the gun a month ago. He said he kept his gun in his car while at work.

He also claimed that he saw the victim after he punched out for the day and that the victim wasn’t injured when he left. Getachew claimed he didn’t shoot the victim and couldn’t explain how he was shot, court documents state.

The victim’s wife said that her husband was concerned about a man matching Getachew’s description at work. He told his wife that the man would lose packages, sometimes refuse to deliver packages and that he thought the man had mental health issues.

An examination of the gun found in Getachew’s home determined that it fired the casings found in the post office. He has a permit to carry a firearm out of Ramsey County.

Court documents note that Getachew has a prior misdemeanor conviction in Hennepin County in 2021. He reportedly told an employee of a business that the owner of the business should be killed. He then reportedly dragged his finger across his neck and said he would bring someone to kill the owner, adding that it would be good for business.