Sources identify 24-year-old man killed by police in St. Paul

By KSTP
Crime scene tape is set up around the scene where St. Paul police shot a suspect Monday, Dec. 5, 2022. (KSTP)

(KSTP) UPDATE: The man shot and killed by St. Paul police Monday evening was a 24-year-old father. Sources tell our sister station, KSTP, that Howard Peter Johnson died after the shooting on the city’s East Side.

A memorial formed Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Hudson Road and Earl Street in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood where Hudson was shot.

In an overnight news conference, police said officers responded around 6 p.m. Monday night to a call for a domestic assault. The 911 caller said the suspect had fled on foot and was holding a handgun, according to police.

Court records show Johnson had been convicted of several charges involving domestic abuse and violating no-contact orders dating back to 2018.

In February 2021, he was sentenced to a year in prison for violating more than two no-contact orders within 10 years, which is a felony in Minnesota.

After the 911 call Monday night, St. Paul Police said they found Johnson, who matched the description of the suspect, and he “appeared to be carjacking a victim.” Officers approached him in a squad car and thought they had struck him with a vehicle.

Johnson was reportedly still standing and holding a handgun, according to police. Upon exiting their squads, one officer opened fire, striking Johnson in the torso and leg.

Johnson was transported to Regions Hospital, where he later died.

The identity of the officer who shot Johnson has not been released.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the city is working on releasing the body camera video of the shooting as soon as possible.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident.

—- PREVIOUS STORY —-

(KSTP) – A man has died in the hospital after being shot by a St. Paul police officer during a call for a domestic assault Monday evening, according to the St. Paul Police Department.

Police say when officers arrived at the site of the call shortly after 6:00 p.m., the caller told them the suspect had run away. Officers began searching and found a man in the area who they say matched the suspect’s description; he was said to be running and holding a handgun.

The man “appeared to be carjacking a victim,” according to police, and officers approached him in a squad car. Police believe they struck him with the car, although they went on to say he was still standing and holding the gun afterward.

Officers then exited the squad, and one police officer fired multiple rounds. Police say bullets hit the man’s torso and leg.

Police stated officers immediately provided first aid and called for St. Paul Fire medics. The man was taken to Regions Hospital, where he died.

The Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCA) is investigating the incident. Officers were said to be wearing active body cameras during their response.

Meanwhile, the St. Paul Police Department has placed the responding officers on administrative leave while the BCA investigates, which the department says is standard procedure.

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter tweeted about the shooting, saying he was “saddened” and called it a “painful trauma”, but added there is still “more to learn about this incident.”