Birthday party shooting in St. Paul: 'Astonishing more people weren't injured'

"It's astonishing more people weren't injured because the building was packed." 

That's what St. Paul Police Department said in a release following a shooting at an event center Saturday night, which resulted in a 16-year-old boy being shot in the leg. 

According to police, there was a birthday party inside an event center on the 500 block of Snelling Avenue North when gunshots rang out at around 9:35 p.m. Police were informed that a manager was trying to gain control after the situation "got out of hand," including attempting to stop people with guns from entering the venue. 

Ultimately, one person armed with a gun made it inside. That person was escorted back outside, at which point "he then turned and fired back into the building," police said. That was followed by another person who "pulled a gun and shot into the building." 

The only person believed to have been struck by gunfire – more than a dozen spent shell casings were recovered – was the 16-year-old boy, who was taken to Regions Hospital for a gunshot wound to the leg. He is expected to survive. 

SPPD noted in its release that responding officers "encountered a hostile crowd that attempted to prevent them from getting to the victim." 

No arrests have been made and police continue to investigate. 

Note: The details provided in this story are based on the police’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.