Victim identified in fatal altercation in St. Paul; suspect arrested, charged

The man who died after what police described as an altercation Saturday night in St. Paul has been identified.

According to the St. Paul Police Department, the man who died after being assaulted at a downtown St. Paul bar has been identified as 48-year-old Michael G. Ryan, of Bloomington.

Police said 43-year-old Ryan John Whisler, of St. Paul, turned himself in to police on Sunday and was booked into Ramsey County Jail for second-degree murder.

Whisler is expected to make his first court appearance on Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Police investigating after man dies after hitting head outside downtown St. Paul bar

Police received several reports of an assault with a person down around 11:35 p.m. on Saturday at a bar on the 300 block of Washington Street. First responders found Ryan, who had suffered a head injury lying on the pavement.

Ryan was taken to Regions Hospital in critical condition but was later pronounced dead on Sunday.

According to witness accounts, Ryan fell and hit his head during a physical confrontation on the bar’s front steps. Police have identified Whisler as the other person involved, who left the scene after the incident.

"This is a family down here and it’s just very sad that this happened," Bloomington Ice Garden assistant general manager Nancy Kaufmann said. "Mike was a great guy. This will be a huge void for this community. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends."

Family and friends have started a GoFundMe.