Olympiccop2002
05-06-2005, 09:19
St. Paul officer killed in shooting outside bar
BY TIM NELSON
Pioneer Press
At least one suspect in the early morning shooting of an undercover St. Paul vice cop was in custody, and heavily armed officers looking for a second suspect consumed the city's east side in a massive air and ground search.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation wouldn't discuss details of the person who'd been taken into custody, but one source said he was "likely involved."
As the janitorial staff at police headquarters lowered the flags to half-staff about 7:30 a.m. in memory of undercover officer Gerald Vick, authorities continued trying to sort out the events that led up to the 2:22 a.m. shooting outside Erick's Bar on East Seventh Street.
Vick, a 15-year veteran of the police force, was shot several times outside the bar, and was dead on arrival at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
"This is a grim day. The lights of one of the heroes of this department have gone out," said police Chief John Harrington. "I can't even begin to express what this means."
Police and sources said they had no idea what sparked the shooting, and they were sorting through conflicting accounts. Vick, who was working a routine prostitution investigation, had gone to the bar. Another undercover officer, Joe Strong, was also at the bar; the officers had come in separate cars.
The shootings apparently happened as the two officers left the bar to go to their cars.
Joining St. Paul police in the search for the suspects were officers from the Minneapolis Police Department, Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, airport police, the FBI's fugitive taks force, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota State Patrol. National Guardsmen were also offering assistance.
Vick joined the police department in 1989 and the vice unit in 2002. He and Strong were working a prostitution detail this morning, but the men they encountered weren’t part of an active investigation, police said.
Vick is survived by his wife and two children. His family, including his brother, was at the hospital this morning.
Police described the suspects as black men, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, with dark complexions and one-inch Afros. One was wearing a black knit running suit. The other was wearing a gray vinyl leisure or running suit.
Police have set up a tip line and ask anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 651-266-5820.
The last time a St. Paul police officer was killed was in 1994, when officers Ron Ryan Jr. and Tim Jones were fatally shot on the East Side.
BY TIM NELSON
Pioneer Press
At least one suspect in the early morning shooting of an undercover St. Paul vice cop was in custody, and heavily armed officers looking for a second suspect consumed the city's east side in a massive air and ground search.
Sources with knowledge of the investigation wouldn't discuss details of the person who'd been taken into custody, but one source said he was "likely involved."
As the janitorial staff at police headquarters lowered the flags to half-staff about 7:30 a.m. in memory of undercover officer Gerald Vick, authorities continued trying to sort out the events that led up to the 2:22 a.m. shooting outside Erick's Bar on East Seventh Street.
Vick, a 15-year veteran of the police force, was shot several times outside the bar, and was dead on arrival at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
"This is a grim day. The lights of one of the heroes of this department have gone out," said police Chief John Harrington. "I can't even begin to express what this means."
Police and sources said they had no idea what sparked the shooting, and they were sorting through conflicting accounts. Vick, who was working a routine prostitution investigation, had gone to the bar. Another undercover officer, Joe Strong, was also at the bar; the officers had come in separate cars.
The shootings apparently happened as the two officers left the bar to go to their cars.
Joining St. Paul police in the search for the suspects were officers from the Minneapolis Police Department, Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, airport police, the FBI's fugitive taks force, the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Minnesota State Patrol. National Guardsmen were also offering assistance.
Vick joined the police department in 1989 and the vice unit in 2002. He and Strong were working a prostitution detail this morning, but the men they encountered weren’t part of an active investigation, police said.
Vick is survived by his wife and two children. His family, including his brother, was at the hospital this morning.
Police described the suspects as black men, 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, with dark complexions and one-inch Afros. One was wearing a black knit running suit. The other was wearing a gray vinyl leisure or running suit.
Police have set up a tip line and ask anyone with information about the shooting to call them at 651-266-5820.
The last time a St. Paul police officer was killed was in 1994, when officers Ron Ryan Jr. and Tim Jones were fatally shot on the East Side.