Man self-reports committing homicide along I-94 in St. Paul

St. Paul police are investigating a homicide that took place along Interstate 94 on Thursday afternoon.

At around 12:30 p.m., St. Paul police were called to assist Minnesota State Patrol troopers with a reported assault in a vehicle on eastbound I-94 near Prior Avenue.

According to law enforcement, the passenger in the vehicle called to self-report that he had assaulted the elderly man who was driving.

When police arrived, the elderly man was not conscious or breathing. He was brought to Regions Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

Police later identified the victim as 76-year-old Lawrence Johnson from St. Paul.

The other man in the vehicle was brought to St. Paul police headquarters for questioning. In a later update, St. Paul police said 32-year-old Nathan Wondra was booked into the Ramsey County Jail on suspicion of second-degree murder.

On Friday, officials stated that Wondra was charged with second-degree murder by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office.

Authorities say an altercation happened inside the vehicle between the two men who knew each other when the elderly man was assaulted. Investigators are working to determine what led up to the incident.

The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office will perform an autopsy to identify the victim and figure out his exact cause of death.