On the morning of August 29, 2021, Blake Richard Swanson, a 20-year-old White man from Bethel, was killed while parked on Raspberry Island in Saint Paul. Swanson had been with his girlfriend and a friend in a Chevrolet Impala under the Wabasha Street Bridge around 3:15 a.m. The friend, Evan Meide, left briefly to look for a scooter; during that time an assailant opened the rear passenger door, held a gun to the girlfriend’s head and stole her phone. The gunman then woke and searched Swanson in the front passenger seat and fired one shot that struck him in the neck. Friends attempted first aid and called 911; Swanson was transported to a hospital and died shortly after arrival.

Investigators located a fingerprint in the vehicle that led to an arrest. In November 2021 authorities arrested 31-year-old Christopher Dewayne Jones of Saint Paul and charged him with two counts of second-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and assault. Jones’ record was reported to include prior felony convictions for robbery and illegal possession of a firearm.

If anyone was at Raspberry Island that night or saw a silver SUV with tinted windows in the parking area, please share what was observed.