Authorities ID man shot to death outside gas station in Minneapolis
The man fatally shot outside a Minneapolis gas station last week has now been identified as a St. Cloud father of two.
Ryan Kane Decker, 46, died of a gunshot wound to the head early Thursday morning. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has officially ruled his death a homicide.
A release from the medical examiner says police are still investigating the shooting, which happened just before midnight, March 24, outside the Stop N Shop at 1700 East Lake Street.
When police arrived at the gas station and found Decker, he was not breathing and had no pulse. Officers began lifesaving measures and Decker was soon taken to Hennepin Healthcare, where he was pronounced dead.
A preliminary investigation indicated an altercation had occurred between "two or more people" at the gas station when one person pulled out a handgun and shot Decker, fleeing from the area afterwards.
Few other details about the incident have been released, so it's not yet clear what might have caused the altercation.
Decker's obituary, which indicates that he left behind two children, describes the shooting as a "senseless act of violence."
He was a professional tree trimmer and landscaper whose "heart was as big as the whole outdoors," the obituary says.
Anyone with information on this incident should call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit a tip online at www.CrimeStoppersMN.org. All tips are anonymous and may result in a financial reward.
According to the MPD's crime dashboard, there have been 16 homicides in the city so far this year. Last year at this time, there were 10.
