In the early morning hours of April 18, 2023, the life of a 27-year-old Black / African American woman, Tracey Loving, was tragically cut short in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Police were called to an apartment complex on the 1400 block of East Minnehaha Avenue just before 5:45 a.m. with reports of a shooting. Upon arrival, they discovered Loving inside the building with a gunshot wound.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
As officers worked to secure the area, they made a second discovery behind the apartment building. An 18-year-old male, later identified as Loving's cousin, Jonathan Evans, was found with a gunshot wound. He was also pronounced dead at the scene. The initial double homicide investigation soon shifted as evidence began to paint a grim picture of the events that had transpired.
Subsequent investigation by the St. Paul Police Department led them to believe that the incident was a murder-suicide. Evidence indicated that Evans fatally shot his cousin, Tracey Loving, before taking his own life outside the building. While the investigation remains active, authorities have not publicly disclosed a motive for the tragic act. Loving's death marked the 11th homicide in the city of St. Paul for that year.
