Minneapolis, St. Paul Police Investigating Deadly Start To The New Year

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Police on both sides of the river are investigating their first homicides of the year.

In St. Paul, a man was found shot inside his car around 2 a.m. Wednesday morning in the 900 block of University Avenue.

Almost three hours later, a man was found stabbed to death inside his car near Emerson and Broadway Avenues North in Minneapolis.

Less than two hours into the new year, gunfire was heard near the 900 Block of University Avenue West in St. Paul.

The location was familiar to police -- Johnny Baby's, a bar where police were called 99 times last year.

"Our officers made their way to the scene and when they arrived they found an adult male in the driver's seat of the vehicle he was suffering from apparent gunshot wounds," said Steve Linders, public information officer for St. Paul Police.

Police and paramedics could not save the man, he died at the scene.

Investigators interviewed witnesses and are hoping video from inside and outside of the bar will help them find the suspect.

Police here are struggling, dealing with one of the most violent years in recent history.

"Last year we had thirty and what we'd like to think is that we can turn the page on what was a violent year and move on from there but for us the work, the hard work addressing violence related to guns doesn't begin or end at the calendar years," Linders said.

The deadly violence didn't stop at the river.

Three hours after the shooting in St. Paul, Minneapolis Police were called to a stabbing.

"Officers responded to the area and located a vehicle in the area of Fremont and Broadway with two stabbing victims inside one victim was deceased the other was transported to North Memorial Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries," Elder said.

Investigators worked the scene, marking for shell casings as well as collecting evidence from inside a building where sources say an after-hours party ended not long before the deadly encounter outside.

No one is in custody in either the St. Paul shooting or Minneapolis stabbing.

St. Paul had 30 homicides in 2019, which is up 50 percent from 2018.

Minneapolis also had an increase in homicides in 2019 after coming off a 30-year low the year before.