Shock in St. Paul over artist's killing outside Lowertown studios

The St. Paul community is reeling after a local artist was shot dead outside of Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative on Wednesday afternoon.

The woman, who authorities have not yet identified, was a member of the cooperative an had been painting a mural outside the organization's live-work studio complex at Kellogg Boulevard and Wacouta Street when she was shot around 5:18 p.m.

According to the St. Paul Police Department, officers arrived and found a woman lying in an alley suffering from gunshot wounds. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

On Thursday morning, St. Paul police officers were involved in a fatal shooting that left one person dead in Belle Plaine.

Details remain scarce as of Thursday afternoon, but police did confirm the incident related to the Lowertown homicide investigation.

Many in the St. Paul community have expressed their shock and horror at the shooting, including Representative María Isa Pérez-Vega.

“I am deeply saddened and disturbed by the tragic loss of life due to gun violence in our Lowertown community yesterday," Vega said."I was in the neighborhood with other community members, and my body froze in shock as we were just about to park and heard gunshots nearby."

A small memorial has started accumulating on Thursday at the scene of the shooting.

Rebecca Noecker, Ward 2 member on St. Paul City Council, said: "I'm deeply saddened by last night's homicide in Lowertown. We all deserve to live in safety and this act of violence has taken the life of one of our neighbors and threatened that sense of security we depend on.

"To my constituents in Lowertown Lofts and throughout downtown – please know that we are working hard to find the perpetrator, answer questions about what occurred, and ensure that the neighborhood is safe."

Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative released a statement on Wednesday confirming the woman had been a member of their art cooperative.

"We don’t have a lot of information right now, but we are working closely with the authorities to resolve this tragic event," the statement reads.

"We ask that our friends and neighbors not speculate about the situation. Our community is in shock and grief as we grapple with the unimaginable."

Related: Police shoot person dead in Belle Plaine in connection with artist's killing in St. Paul