St. Paul College reopens after gun scare

St. Paul Technical College reopened late Wednesday afternoon after St. Paul police searched the building for an alleged gunman. After the search, police said they did not find anything suspicious.

Police said they questioned a student who loosely fit a description given by a witness. Sergeant Paul Schnell said that a witness reported seeing the student leave his home this morning with a gun.

Around 11 a.m. on campus, a student told school security that she spotted a man with a gun in an elevator. The student heard the man talking about financial aid. She said he seemed upset. The woman did not see the man leave the building, Schnell said.

As of Wednesday afternoon, police did not know if there was a connection between the two stories.

Authorities locked down the campus Wednesday morning. SWAT teams later evacuated the buildings. Classes were canceled Wednesday afternoon, but resumed early evening.

Police reported no injuries. Students, staff and others milled around outside the building while police searched the area.

“We would certainly rather this be in a case of overreacting and making sure that we have done every single thing that we can to ensure the safety at this school and in this community rather than have something tragic happen,” Schnell said.

St. Paul College is located in Cathedral Hill, four miles east of St. Thomas. Roughly 8,000 students and 500 staff make up the school’s population.