Family of man in St. Paul shooting spree apologizes to ‘innocent victims’
The family of a -year-old man suspected of shooting and wounding bystanders after getting into a shootout with police in St Paul last week is apologizing to the innocent casualties and the society members affected Tevin Marcel Bellaphant who police say died by suicide inside a Cub Foods has a history of violence and was legally barred from possessing guns according to court records The happening started shortly after noon on Friday when police say Bellaphant pistol whipped someone and fired gunshots in a home in the block of Jessamine Lane That development involved a sister of Bellaphant s and he fled with a -year-old cousin a relative declared Tevin Bellaphant Courtesy of the family This is another tragic example of the fact that domestic violence is not a private personal issue but a populace robustness issue with wide-ranging impacts across entire communities Violence Free Minnesota posted on social media Sunday pointing out that domestic violence often spills out of homes and into workplaces stores places of worship parks and far more Officers received reports that Bellaphant was spotted in a nearby Aldi grocery store on Clarence Street near Maryland Avenue He took out a weapon and fired at police and they returned fire Bellaphant then fled the store without the child who was not harmed With officers pursuing him Bellaphant continued to run As he did he passed by Destiny Caf and shot two women They were taken to the hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries Bellaphant continued to run through the Cub Foods parking lot toward the occupied grocery store where an officer fired multiple gunshots at him He entered the grocery store which officers helped evacuate and police began negotiating with Bellaphant Police mentioned he shot himself minutes later Never learned how to cope family says Bellaphant s family announced they want people to know that Friday s events did not define the type of person he was He had a big heart and loved kids wholeheartedly his family explained in a report Tevin was the type of person that would call and check on you come over and help out around the house or with the kids He would crack jokes with the kids attend sports family nights and listen to school drama Bellaphant lost his mother uncle and grandmother and never learned how to cope with the losses the announcement continued He struggled with mental soundness issues and it led to a drug addiction Bellaphant came from a large family and was the third oldest grandchild His family reported they re taking his loss hard We would like to say sorry to the innocent casualties that were shot and to the people out in the population affected by this tragic event their declaration concluded Past charges of domestic violence attempted murder St Paul police questioned the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to investigate since officers fired their guns and the BCA s scrutiny is ongoing Bellaphant was prohibited from possessing firearms due to a sentence for aiding and abetting first-degree burglary according to a past criminal complaint In Bellaphant was charged with attempted murder and other counts accused of shooting at two people in St Paul They were not injured After police arrested him Bellaphant explained he d been in a beef with one of the men Bellaphant was convicted of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon Related Articles Mike Waltz pledges to make UN great again at Senate confirmation hearing Murder trial begins for Colorado dentist accused of poisoning wife s protein shakes Weeklong burglary trial for Minnesota Sen Nicole Mitchell begins Hulu series names new person of interest in Jodi Huisentruit occurrence Charges dropped against Utah expert accused of throwing away in COVID vaccine doses His majority of newest conviction was in for felony domestic assault for which he was sentenced to months in prison Minnesota court records show When police were looking for him in that matter after the mother of his child mentioned he punched her in the face Bellaphant called and disclosed Officers arrest me I hope his bulletproof vest can withstand cuz I m gunning they expletive down according to the criminal complaint in that incident Bellaphant called a second time and disclosed Y all keep me in custody alive I m gonna kill your expletive expletive and the judge the complaint also commented For help The St Paul Ramsey County Domestic Abuse Intervention Project can be reached hours a day at - - Help for domestic violence in Minnesota is also available through the Day One emergency hotline by calling - - or texting - - The Suicide Predicament Lifeline can be reached by dialing and the Emergency Text Line can be contacted by texting Home to