An arrest was made Wednesday in connection with a triple homicide on St. Paul’s East Side Sunday.
A 41-year-old Minneapolis man was arrested in Chicago Wednesday morning on suspicion of shooting five people and killing three in St. Paul's Payne Phalen neighborhood. St. Paul police officers made the arrest in collaboration with the FBI. The man has not yet been charged.
“I applaud our officers' diligent pursuit of those responsible for the nightmare we endured this weekend," Mayor Melvin Carter said in a statement. "However, it allows us to start the slow healing process together."
St. Paul police declined to comment, citing that the investigation remains active.
Police were called about 4:30 p.m. Sunday to a two-story home on the 900 block of Case Avenue and found two people wounded outside. The three deceased victims were found inside the home.
The victims were identified as Angelica Gonzales, 33, Cory Freeman, 42, and Maisha Spaulding, 44, by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner.
Police described the incident as "one of the most complex crime scenes" they have investigated due to the number of victims.
Community leaders along with police gathered outside the home Monday calling for peace.
"We are tired of these incidents playing out in our community over and over and over again. What happened last night is just plain unacceptable," St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said.
Janis Jaja, a neighbor in the area, attended the press conference with her two grandchildren.
"It's sad and frustrating," Jaja said. "I didn't know the family, but it could be anybody's family."
Police have not detailed what led up to the incident, however they have eliminated potential possibilities, including that it was a domestic situation.
Records show police had been called to that address 17 times over the past year.
"We are doing a deep dive into the calls for service at that address and we're going to take a hard look at whether we missed anything or we could have done something differently," Ellison said. "But at this time, it appears that we've done everything we could've done, given the information we had at the time."
There are now 27 reported homicides in Saint Paul this year.