Metro Transit police on Tuesday identified a St. Paul man they say is wanted in connection with a double homicide about two weeks ago at a light rail station in downtown St. Paul.
Police ID suspect wanted in double homicide at St. Paul light rail station
The 26-year-old with a felony record "is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached," Metro Transit police said in a statement.
December 28, 2022 at 12:37AM
Martin Orea, 26, is suspected of fatally shooting 18-year-old David Burton Johnson and 21-year-old Ellijah Marquise Payne, both of St. Paul, on Dec. 12 inside a building that includes a stairwell and elevator connecting the skyway bridge crossing Cedar Street to the Green Line.
"Orea is believed to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached," police said in a statement.
Anyone who sees Orea should call 911 immediately, the statement read. People with information about his whereabouts are urged to call the Metro Transit police tip line at 612-349-7222.
Orea's criminal history in Minnesota includes felony convictions for burglary and illegal weapons possession.
The station's building is closed while safety improvements are being been made, Metro Transit said.
During a virtual community meeting a week after the homicides, representatives from Metro Transit, the St. Paul Police Department and the city's Office of Neighborhood Safety laid out safety plans. They included contracting with a private security company and installing shaded windows to prevent people from looking out from the station tower.
The two homicides are among 39 in St. Paul so far in 2022, a one-year record for the city.
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