St. Paul’s deadly year
Homicide claimed 31 people in St. Paul in 2019, the highest number since the record of 34 slayings set in the mid-1990s. The majority of the victims were young men of color who lost their lives to gun violence in a year that saw a record number of fatal shootings in the city. One man was shot and killed after attacking a police officer. Despite a lull toward the end of the year, the gunfire left residents and angry and scared, while a frustrated mayor and police chief called on federal authorities to help stop the chaos.