On a late summer night in Saint Paul, Minnesota, what began as a familiar gathering spot for a group of friends turned into the scene of a tragedy. Blake Richard Swanson, a 20-year-old White male from Bethel, was with his girlfriend and a friend on Raspberry Island, a place they often frequented to enjoy the city lights and the company of other car enthusiasts.
The early morning hours of August 29, 2021, were shattered by an act of violence that would end Swanson's life.
The trio had parked their Chevrolet Impala under the Wabasha Street Bridge, a popular meeting point. Shortly after their arrival around 3:15 a.m., Swanson's friend, Evan Meide, went to look for a scooter nearby, leaving Swanson and his girlfriend in the car. It was during this brief window of time that an assailant opened the rear passenger door of the vehicle. The man held a gun to the head of Swanson's girlfriend, robbing her of her phone before turning his attention to Swanson, who was asleep in the front passenger seat.
After waking and searching Swanson, the assailant fired a single shot, striking him in the neck. The gunman then fled in a silver SUV with tinted windows that had been seen in the parking lot. When Meide returned, he found a scene of chaos and despair, with Swanson on the ground bleeding and his girlfriend distraught. Friends who were present tried to apply pressure to the wound and called 911 using Swanson's phone. Paramedics arrived and transported Swanson to a nearby hospital, but his injuries were too severe, and he died shortly after his arrival.
The investigation into the homicide led police to a suspect through a fingerprint recovered from the vehicle. In November 2021, authorities arrested 31-year-old Christopher Dewayne Jones of Saint Paul in connection with the murder. Jones was subsequently charged with two counts of second-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and assault. It was later revealed that Jones had a prior felony record, including convictions for robbery and illegal possession of a firearm.
