James Baker, 20, a man from Saint Paul, was rushed to Regions Hospital on Wednesday, May 28, 2025, after suffering a gunshot wound to his torso. Police were first notified around 2:30 p.m.; despite emergency care, James Baker, 20, died shortly after 3 p.m., and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner later identified him as the victim.
Investigators traced the shooting to the city's West Side, at an apartment complex in the 600 block of Stryker Avenue.
Reports indicate the gunfire erupted inside a relative's unit—his cousin's apartment—before James Baker, 20, was taken to the hospital. The killing marked the city's fourth homicide of the year, adding weight to an already tense spring on the West Side.
Detectives with St. Paul police said James Baker, 20, and the shooter knew one another. No arrests had been made by the following day, and the suspect remained at large, though authorities noted they did not believe there was a broader threat to the public. The search for the suspect continued as homicide investigators gathered evidence and interviewed witnesses tied to the apartment complex and the hospital timeline.
