St. Paul police release bodycam video of officers shooting a Lowertown murder suspect

St. Paul police released body camera footage Tuesday showing officers shooting a man suspected of killing a woman in the Lowertown neighborhood last week.

Seantrell Tyreese Murdock, 29, was shot as St. Paul officers attempted to arrest him early Thursday, Sept. 26, outside a home in Belle Plaine, southwest of the Twin Cities.

He was the suspect in the seemingly random murder of 66-year-old Carrie Kwok the previous day. Kwok was fatally shot while working on a mural outside the Lowertown Lofts Artist Cooperative.

Police said the two did not know each other, and court records show Murdock was hospitalized early last year for schizoaffective and substance abuse disorders. He attacked hospital staff and his mother warned him that he had access to a weapon.

After Murdock appeared to respond to treatment, a Scott County judge ordered him to continue receiving his treatment on an outpatient basis.

After the shooting in Lowertown last week, investigators tracked Murdock to Belle Plaine. Police said they monitored his home there overnight and then confronted him as he left.

The video released by St. Paul police includes excerpts from three body camera videos that captured the shooting.

The videos show officers getting out of their vehicles and shouting “hands,” “get on the ground” and “he has a gun” before two officers open fire. The videos show about five seconds that passed between the officers getting out of their vehicles and Murdock being shot. The videos do not show whether Murdock pointed a gun at officers or provide any other context about what led the officers to fire their weapons.

After shots are fired, the videos show officers handcuffing Murdock. There is a handgun on the ground next to him. Murdock can be heard asking, “Why did you shoot me?” multiple times.

An officer responds, “Because you had a gun in your hand, dude,” before the officers ask Murdock where he was hit; he doesn't answer. The officers call paramedics. Murdock was flown to a hospital in Minneapolis, where he died from his injuries.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had previously identified the two St. Paul officers who fired their weapons as Aaron Bohlen, who has 10 years of law enforcement experience, and Lance Christianson, who has 20 years of law enforcement experience .

The BCA is continuing to investigate.

In a statement issued Tuesday alongside the release of the video, St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said, “This has been a very sad time for our city and the families of those affected by the loss of a loved one. “ We are committed to transparency and accountability for our actions and hope that releasing these videos will help answer some of the questions people have. The families, our community and our officers will continue to be our priority as this independent investigation moves forward.”