Man who died after being shot while driving in St. Paul identified; friends say he was the ‘greatest guy alive’

KSTP

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UPDATE:

The man who died after he called 911 to report he’d been shot while driving in St. Paul has been identified.

The shooting, according to police, happened around 10 p.m. Wednesday near the intersection of Snelling and University Avenues.

According to police, 55-year-old Jeffrey Adam Mintz, of St. Paul, called 911 for help after the reported shooting. He was taken to Regions Hospital where he later died.

Michael Spatz and Ken Fishman, friends of Mintz’s, spoke with KSTP Thursday night about their friend.

Jeff Mintz.[Courtesy of family.]

"He was the greatest guy alive," said Spatz. "[He] loved Minnesota. He left Chicago for it. He was a big fan of Minnesota and everything the state has to offer."

Mintz’s friends said he graduated from the University of Minnesota and had a family law practice in Rochester. He also started an environmental company that didn’t make it.

Spatz said he "loved everybody" and life.

"Jeff was passionate about social justice and racial equality," Fishman added.

Mintz was an Uber Eats driver and was said to pick up whatever was needed for others so he could deliver it, speaking on those who are homeless or in need of food, not just customers.

His friends tell KSTP he had three brothers and two kids in their 20s. His daughter was going to be married soon, and Jeffrey was going to quarantine starting this weekend so he could be a part of the wedding.

"This has been very devastating for all of us," Spatz said. "It makes no sense. It makes absolutely no sense. Especially for someone who loved life so much. It’s terrible… I don’t even understand it. How someone could have such little regard for life."

Police said the incident remains under investigation and that no arrests had been made as of Thursday afternoon. Anyone with information is asked to call 651-266-5650.

An earlier version of this report appears below.

A man died at Regions Hospital early Thursday morning after he called 911 to report he’d been shot while driving down University Avenue in St. Paul.

According to the St. Paul Police Department, the man called 911 for help just before 10 p.m. on Wednesday, from the southbound lanes of the intersection of University and Snelling avenues. Officers arrived a short time later and found the victim inside his Toyota Prius, suffering from an apparent gunshot wound to his chest.

The officers began rendering aid and called for St. Paul Fire medics, who rushed the man to Regions Hospital where he died about two hours later, said police.

Patrol officers worked to protect the crime scene by cordoning off portions of the southbound lanes from Sherburne Avenue on the north to a bus shelter just south of University, where the victim’s car came to rest.

According to police, the preliminary information indicates someone in another vehicle may have shot the victim.

Members of the police department’s homicide, forensic services and video management units arrived on the scene and began collecting physical evidence, looking for video cameras that may have recorded the shooting and interviewing witnesses in an attempt to determine what led to the shooting and who is responsible.

No arrests have been made. Anyone with information should call 651-266-5650.

The Ramsey County medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to positively identify the victim and determine an exact cause of death. This information will be released after family notifications are complete along with any updates on the case.