Man Charged After Fatal South St. Paul Shooting

SOUTH ST. PAUL, MN — A 35-year-old Newport man is accused of fatally shooting one person and wounding another Monday.

Jerome Deshawn Misters was charged with murder and attempted murder in the South St. Paul shooting, according to Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom.

Matthew Perkins, 33, of St. Paul was killed, and a 36-year-old Bayport man was seriously wounded.

Police were dispatched just before 4 a.m. to a neighborhood on a report of gunfire and found a man — later identified as Perkins — lying on the sidewalk. He was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

An autopsy later revealed that Perkins had been shot five times and died from blood loss.

Another man at the scene also suffered gunshot wounds but survived and told officers that he and Perkins — his cousin — were shot after a heated argument with a third man.

Further investigation — including witness interviews — led to police to believe Misters was responsible for the shootings, police said.

At about 7 a.m. Monday, officers were speaking to staff at a hotel that Misters was known to frequent when Misters walked in and was arrested.

Misters made his first court appearance Wednesday, and bail was set at $1.5 million.