Three killed during shooting at homeless encampment

Two people were shot and killed at a homeless encampment near 44th and Hiawatha in Minneapolis on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. The shooter, Earl Bennett, 40, was  arrested after waving a gun near the intersection of Snelling and University in St. Paul later that same day. He was shot by four St. Paul officers who are on leave while the incident is investigated by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and treated at Regions Hospital.

From Ward 12 Minneapolis Council Member Aurin Chowdhury Tuesday, Nov. 5:

As many in the Ward 12 Community know and for those who may not know I deeply saddened to share last weekend on Sunday, October 27 there was a shooting at an encampment on 44th and Snelling. Two lives were taken and person was critically injured and taken immediately to HCMC. This was a senseless act violence that should have been prevented. I have spent the last week gathering the most up to date information to share with you on this incident. 

I arrived on the scene on Sunday as soon as I heard about the shooting, I spoke with neighbors in the area, the Chief of Police, the Investigator on scene, the Third Precinct Inspector,  and convened with the building management and leadership team at Hillock Apartments onsite to get them the most up to date information. At this time, the individuals whose lives were lost have been identified to be Christopher Martell Washington and Louis Mitchell Lemons. My heart goes out to them, their families, and the neighbors in the area who were negatively impacted by this incident. 

The suspect was apprehended by Saint Paul Police on October 29, 2024 in connection with this shooting and another that occured on Monday, October 28 on the 3500 block of Columbus Avenue.  Investigators are working diligently with Hennepin County Attorneys see appropriate criminal charges are filed. I am grateful that the authorities were able to apprehend him and begin the process of bringing him to justice.

It is important to note that the suspect was not someone staying at the encampment and I have been informed by the Mineapolis Police Department officials that there is no evidence currently linking this shooting to the shooting that took place at the encampment on 15th Avenue South on Saturday, October 26. Additionally, the encampment at this site is no longer there, I have started discussions with the City administration to make short term and long term plans to activate and use this empty city owned parcel. 

The recent tragic events at the encampment bring into sharp focus a distressing truth: our neighbors that live in and near encampments face heightened public safety concerns, and their safety and wellbeing is compromised by bad actors looking to exploit vulnerable people and engage in violence and exploitation. The status quo system that the City administration has in place is not working and is not furthering our collective goals for safety, livability, and dignity for all. Change is needed and it is going to take all of us. 

My office has been actively addressing concerns at at this location since we were first informed of the formation of the encampment. We initially contacted the Homelessness Response Team on September 30th and continued to follow up as the encampment moved to 4440 Snelling Ave, a City owned parcel. I myself, did frequent visits to the area. 

Residents near the encampment expressed a heightened sense of insecurity and safety concerns due to various incidents related to the encampment. After a constituent reached out to my office with concerns on October 9, we reached out to city staff to identify the parcel in question and informed both the homeless response and streets-to-housing teams of the encampment and requested a coordinated response to connect these unhoused residents with shelter and services. 

We've requested increased site maintenance to help mitigate livability concerns for the immediate neighbors this request was fulfilled by Public Works. On October 11, I requested a briefing to get all the information regarding the plans to address the safety and livability issues by the City Administration and to elevate further resident concerns– as the City administration on the executive side are the only ones that can determine the direction of city operations. To my disappointment my frequent requests & follow-ups for this were not responded to for two weeks and then scheduled for October 31, 2024. In the absence of this my office continued to engage with constituents and stakeholders to work towards a solution. 

On October 23, my office and I coordinated a meeting with the Third Precinct Inspector, Crime Prevention Specialists, Metro Transit, business owners and various stakeholders around the 46th st and Hiawatha Ave corridor to discuss the activity in the area and their concerns. This was a good initial step for building a longer term plan to improve safety and livability in the area. 

On October 24, I met with residents of Hillock Apartments, which is a 55+ community home to former veterans and vulnerable adults, to discuss their first hand experiences and interactions with the nearby encampment and the unhoused individuals living there. The key issues that were raised from this conversation were delayed police responses, property damage, drug use, and a lack of communication from authorities regarding plans for addressing these challenges. 

As your Council Member, I will say that this was an extremely frustrating, and hard experience. I have learned a lot of lessons from this and my resolve is stronger than ever to continue the work of increasing the safety and livability for all in our community, especially working people, vulnerable people, Black, brown, and indigenous people who consistently are not receiving services for their safety in an equal or equitable manner. 

It’s important to emphasize the humanity of the unhoused individuals living in encampments especially in the wake of the loss of life. The dignity of unhoused people does not need to be in competition with the safety of housed neighbors. While the determinants of homelessness are not singular, as a council, we’ve advanced policy aimed at comprehensive opioid response to address and mitigate drug use, humane encampment response to rectify the ineffective whack-a-mole methods that cause encampments to resurface just blocks away, and securing additional shelter funding for Agate to address the shortage of available shelter beds in our city. 

Yet, these measures require further support. Transitional, safe spaces and coordinated services are essential. Ideas for a a navigation center in partnership with community organizations, rapid rehousing, housing first policies, and a real plan for addressing the opiod epidemic  need to be taken seriously.  Only through full collaboration at every level can we create lasting, compassionate solutions that safeguard the well-being of all our residents.

From St. Paul Police Oct. 29, 2024:

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating after Saint Paul police officers were involved in a shooting during the evening hours of Monday, Oct. 28.

Just before 7:45 p.m. officers were called to the area of the 400 block of Pierce Street on a report of shots fired nearby. Other callers also reported hearing shots fired and believed it came from the direction of Snelling and University Avenues. Officers responded to the area and located an adult male armed with a handgun near Snelling and Charles Avenues.

When officers came across the man, he pointed the gun he had at his own head and officers began negotiating with him to put it down. He refused and began to walk south on Snelling Avenue. Officers followed the man and continued to talk to him in an effort to get him to put the gun down and surrender. The man did not comply and continued to walk south on Snelling Avenue. While this was happening, there were numerous vehicles and pedestrians in the area. When the man reached University Avenue West and Snelling Avenue he stopped moving south and instead walked around in the intersection. Officers continued to negotiate with him to put the gun down. Officers used less lethal projectiles in an attempt to get him to put down the gun but were unsuccessful. The man then pointed the gun at officers, and they fired their service weapons striking him.    

Officers quickly provided life saving measures to the man and called for Saint Paul Fire Department medics to respond. The man was transported to Regions Hospital with life-threatening injuries. He remains there in critical condition.  

Due to the nature of this incident, we requested the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to handle the investigation. All officers involved in this incident were wearing body cameras that were activated. The BCA will review the video and other evidence as part of its investigation.

The officers will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting. No further information about this case is currently available. Future questions about the investigation should be directed to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

OCT. 30 UPDATE:

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified the St. Paul Police Department officers who used force in an Oct. 28 incident during which a man was shot. The incident happened at Snelling and University avenues in St. Paul. All of the officers are on critical incident leave.

• Officer Austin Borowicz fired 40mm less lethal rounds. He has been in law enforcement for three years.
• Officer Shawn Marlowe discharged his rifle. He has been in law enforcement for 10 years.
• Officer Chase Robinson discharged his handgun. He has been in law enforcement for 10 years.
• Sergeant Lamichael Shead discharged his handgun. He has been in law enforcement for eight years.
• Officer Blake Steffen discharged his rifle. He has been in law enforcement for four years.
• Officer Peov Suon fired 40mm less lethal rounds. He has been in law enforcement for three years.

The BCA on Tuesday identified the man who was shot during the incident as Earl Bennett, age 40. Bennett has no permanent address but recently has been staying in the Twin Cities Metro Area. Bennett remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. No one else was injured during the incident.

The incident was captured on body and dash cameras as well as security cameras in the area. BCA crime scene personnel recovered a handgun from near where Bennett stood. Forensic testing on the firearm is being conducted as part of the BCA's investigation.

The BCA investigation of the force incident is ongoing. When the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation on charges to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office for review.

NOV. 5 UPDATE:

Today, Tuesday, Nov. 5, the Saint Paul Police Department released excerpts of body worn camera footage that captured the officer involved shooting that occurred the evening of Monday, Oct. 28, 2024.

The body worn camera footage shows the officers’ interaction with Earl Bennett. Officers were called to the area of the 400 block of Pierce Street on a report of shots fired nearby. Other callers also reported hearing shots fired and believed they came from the area of Snelling and University avenues. Officers responded to the area and located Bennett armed with a handgun near Snelling and Charles Avenues.

When officers confronted Bennett, he pointed the gun at his own head and began to walk south on Snelling Avenue. Officers began an attempt to de-escalate the situation by negotiating with Bennett to put the gun down. This continued for four minutes as Bennett walked south on Snelling Avenue to University Avenue where he stopped and walked the intersection with the gun to his head. Officers used less lethal projectiles and continued to try and get Bennett to put the gun down but were unsuccessful. During this interaction Bennett pointed the handgun at officers and four officers fired their duty weapons striking him.               

Officers on scene rendered aid and called for Saint Paul Fire Department medics, who responded and transported Bennett to Regions Hospital for treatment.  

“Our city experienced another episode of gun violence last week. Our officers responded to one of the busiest intersections in our state for a person shooting a gun. Given the location, time of day, and number of motorists, light-rail users, and people on foot and bicycles in the area, I am thankful more people weren't injured,” said Saint Paul Police Chief Axel Henry. “We remain committed as your police department to being transparent and releasing body-camera footage as soon as possible. No one, including the police officers that are tasked with responding to these calls, wants these outcomes. We must all work together to stop the violence in our community."

The videos can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/fIlCx88A6IM