There was a large police response in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood Saturday morning, and authorities now say they are looking for answers in the city’s 20th homicide of the year.  

“To hear the sirens running by this morning at my Citizen app, and realizing it’s right behind me,” said resident Jennifer Colestock. “I was a little startled.”

“It’s shocking because we have a very quiet neighborhood,” added Carla Krier, a 10-year resident.

Krier says around 9:30 am, she was working in her front yard, along the 1100 block of Bowdoin Street South when she saw a man approach her next-door neighbor’s house.

“Typically, we don’t get a lot of people coming around and strongly knocking on doors or anything like that,” she said.

“She thought somebody might be visiting the neighbor and didn’t think anything else, and then heard the screams,” Colestock added.

Police say it was a 73-year-old man who knocked on the front door.

When a man answered, a fight ensued, and both men were stabbed.

The 73-year-old died at the hospital, according to investigators.

“The circumstances of what occurred is still under investigation,” said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul Police spokesperson. “Our homicide investigators are working through a set of facts in this case, but they need some help.”

Authorities say that the 59-year-old resident of the home, wounded in the torso, is now being treated at Regions Hospital and is expected to survive.

“Just a typical family, from what we know,” Krier said about her neighbor. “Older gentleman with his daughter and a grandson.”

She notes there have been no previous issues at the neighbor’s house before.

Colestack says, in fact, her injured neighbor was a protector for people who lived nearby.

“He has always looked out for everybody,” she declared. “He’s kind of been like our neighborhood watch.”

Police say they’re working with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner to identify the 73-year-old and determine an official cause of death.

Residents living in the area believe he may have been randomly knocking at other doors as well.

Ernster says detectives have been canvassing the neighborhood for witnesses and video evidence, and continue to search for a motive in the case.

“They’re looking to speak with anybody that’s in the neighborhood that could have seen or interacted with the 73-year-old prior to him going to this house on Bowdoin,” he explained.

After what happened Saturday morning, Krier says neighbors are watching out for each other.

“This is not going to be something that makes me run from my house,” she declared. “I love this neighborhood. We’ve been here for 10 years, never had an issue such as this. Unfortunately, things like this cause the neighbors to get together and check on each other and just make sure everybody’s still in a good head space. Very supportive neighborhood.”   

St. Paul Police Department is asking anyone who talked to the 73-year-old or saw him approaching homes to call 651-266-5650.