James Baker, 20, of Saint Paul, was shot inside a relative’s apartment on the city’s West Side and died at Regions Hospital on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. Police were notified about 2:30 p.m.; despite emergency care, he was pronounced dead shortly after 3 p.m., and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner later identified him as the victim.

The shooting happened in the 600 block of Stryker Avenue, where reports say the gunfire erupted inside his cousin’s unit. St. Paul detectives said Baker and the shooter knew one another. No arrest had been made by the following day and the suspect was at large; investigators did not believe there was a broader threat to the public.

Homicide investigators were gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses connected to the apartment complex and the hospital timeline. If anyone was at the 600 block of Stryker Avenue that afternoon or has information about who knew Baker, contact the St. Paul Police Homicide Unit.