A family argument in Saint Paul ended in murder on January 31, 2018. Forty-seven-year-old Kurt Schmeck was shot and killed inside the home he shared with his mother and his 32-year-old half-brother, Justin M. Girling, after a dispute that began over the mother baking cookies escalated into a confrontation. Girling, who had a permit to carry the handgun, fired from about six feet; Schmeck was struck, fell, and was shot two more times as he tried to rise. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Girling called 911 and later was arrested and charged with second-degree intentional murder. At a June 2018 plea hearing he pleaded guilty; during sentencing his mother described long-standing verbal animosity between the brothers but said Kurt had not been physically violent. The court sentenced Girling to 15 years in prison for the killing.