A deadly series of events played out in two Minnesota cities located about an hour apart between Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning that left an innocent woman dead and the person suspected of murdering her killed by police about 12 hours later.
A St. Paul artist was murdered in cold blood Wednesday afternoon while kneeling on the ground painting a mural outside her downtown loft residence, in what the St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) has described as a random shooting.
The man suspected of killing her was tracked through suspect vehicle information to the Scott County city of Belle Plaine overnight, where police set up surveillance near the location where they found the vehicle parked. The home was monitored overnight with the assistance of Belle Plaine police in an effort to locate the suspect and execute a search warrant on the home, according to a statement later released by SPPD.
Just after 6:30 a.m. Thursday, a male left the residence matching the description of the suspect from the shooting in Lowertown, and officers approached him to take him into custody. The man was armed with a handgun when he was confronted by the officers, and two Saint Paul officers fired their duty weapons, striking him.
In a media briefing held Thursday afternoon, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry described the murder, which was captured on surveillance video that has not been released to the public, as “one of the most cold-blooded things I’ve ever seen in my life.” Chief Henry added, “I’ve never seen anything like that, even in a movie,” although he did not go into specifics.
Both the victim and the now-deceased suspect have been identified by their respective family members as 66-year-old Carrie Kwok, and 29-year-old Seantrell Tyreese Murdock.
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Family has confirmed the St. Paul murder victim as Carrie Kwok, age 66. pic.twitter.com/NAmFmbwgxw— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) September 27, 2024
Chief Henry indicated that much more information would be released in the coming days or weeks about Murdock and his background. A check of Minnesota criminal records shows a lengthy history of convictions that include a number of driving violations, but also weapons, theft, and first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling. The felony burglary conviction would typically result in the convicted party being prohibited from possessing firearms. Court records also show a Scott County mental health case against Murdock in 2023 that resulted in a stayed order of commitment in February 2023, meaning that the mental health commitment was not executed. The case was ordered dismissed in August of last year.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is handling the investigation into the officer-involved shooting, and results are expected to be made public at a later date.
The Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative where Kwok lived put out a statement on social media without naming her on Wednesday night.
“This afternoon one of our members was shot and killed while working on an art project outside of our building. We don’t have a lot of information right now, but we are working closely with the authorities to resolve this tragic event. We ask that our friends and neighbors not speculate about the situation. Our community is in shock and grief as we grapple with the unimaginable.”
Alpha News will continue to follow all developments in these related incidents.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
