Ex-St. Paul Central basketball star Dion Ford killed in shooting
The man killed in a shooting outside a St. Paul convenience store Thursday night has been identified by the public as Dion Ford, a former prep basketball standout at St. Paul Central High School.
Numerous posts on social media say Ford was the victim of the shooting, and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner has since confirmed him as the victim.
Among those remembering Ford is Benilde-St. Margaret's head coach and ex-Gophers star Damian Johnson, who said Ford "had so much potential."
Ford was a 1,000-point scorer at Central High School and helped lead the 2018-19 team to 22 victories, finishing two wins shy of the state tournament after losing to East Ridge in the section semifinals. He helped guide that Central team to win over Minneapolis North in the final game of the regular season, which still stands as the last time North has lost to a city team from Minneapolis or St. Paul.
Ford played his freshman season of college basketball at Lake Region State in Devils Lake, North Dakota, where he averaged more than 19 points and started 21 of 28 games. He transferred to Casper College in Wyoming for the 2020-21 season, where he averaged about 9 points per game while starting 11 of 18 games.
You can see his Lake Region State bio here, and his Casper College bio here.
It's unclear if he played college basketball during the 2021-22 season.
According to St. Paul police, the shooting was reported around 9:15 p.m. Thursday on the 400 block of Maryland Avenue West. Two men in their early 20s were found shot, with police saying one of the victims died at the scene.
The other victim was in a car nearby. He was taken to Regions Hospital and rushed to surgery, according to SPPD. His condition is currently unknown.
