3 men in custody after 1 killed, 14 hurt in St. Paul bar shooting

KSTP

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Three men are in custody Monday morning in connection with a fatal shooting at a St. Paul bar Sunday.

Police said a woman was killed and 14 other people were hurt by the gunfire at Seventh Street Truck Park bar, which is about a block away from the Xcel Energy Center.

The family of Marquisha Wiley has identified her as the woman who died. The Ramsey County medical examiner confirmed the identification Monday, adding the 27-year-old woman was from St. Paul.

The people inside the bar Sunday morning told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS there were moments they’ll never be able to forget.

They described the scene as complete horror and chaos. They said they didn’t know where the shooting was coming from or if they would get out alive.

[KSTP-TV]

When the shooting started, Emily Kieffer said a man laid on top of her and her friend to protect them.

"He just said, ‘Stay down. You have kids,’" Kieffer said, "And I’m like, ‘You have a son, you told us you have a son,’ and he’s like ‘You’re married, you have two kids,’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah I do… and I hope that I get to them,’" Kieffer said.

Police said they received dozens of frantic calls around 12:15 a.m. Sunday.

When officers arrived, they found victims in the street and throughout the bar.

They described a "hellish" scene.

Family said Wiley died inside the bar. Fourteen other victims were taken to the hospital and are expected to be OK.

Police said three men — ages 33, 32 and 29 — were taken into custody in connection with the shooting. Police said they were being treated at the hospital for their injuries and said once the suspects are discharged, they will be booked into Ramsey County Jail and will await possible charges.

KSTP’s Eric Chaloux reports St. Paul police expect charges will be filed later Monday.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter also spoke out Sunday, saying the city needs to shift its public safety strategy. He said having more officers on patrol would help, but he also said stopping this kind of violence will take the entire community.

"We know that our officers cannot do it alone," Carter said. "I’m blessed to live in, and serve, a city where people look out for one another; we have to continue to do that work on the street level, on the neighborhood level, ensuring that sort of, if you see something, say something. We have so many lives that have been impacted, that have been lost that have been changed forever, because someone pulled the trigger or had access to a gun who really shouldn’t have."

Carter said he knows the entire city of St. Paul is looking for answers.

St. Paul police are continuing to investigate. They told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS this is a complex investigation and that they are committed to bringing justice for all of those involved.

Monday, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell told Chaloux he’s appreciative of the quick work from police on the case.

"Working to get answers and an arrest within 12 hours of the incident occurring is miraculous; I couldn’t be more proud," Axtell said.

He also said, "I couldn’t be more proud of the life-saving measures they took with our fire department paramedics, bringing calm to a chaotic situation, just a tragic situation where there was so much blood, so much chaos, conflict going on at the time, and gathering the evidence necessary to bring to the prosecutor to help us hold people accountable."

Watch 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS Monday at 4:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. for a one-on-one conversation with Axtell.