St. Paul police issue correction after learning more about woman's death

Police have issued a correction after an initial report suggested a woman was killed in a hit-and-run incident early Tuesday.  

Saint Paul PD announced Wednesday that it learned through an autopsy that the 56-year-old victim "was not struck by a vehicle – neither initially or after she’d collapsed in the street."

"The information we shared with you yesterday was based on police reports, which provide a summary of events based on what we know at the time," spokesperson Steve Linders wrote in an email to Bring Me The News. 

The woman had injuries consistent with falling, police said, though an official cause of death is pending a review by the medical examiner. 

The original report from St. Paul police was based on a witness account, which stated the victim was lying in the street at the intersection of Rice Street and Ivy Avenue around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday. 

"It appears the witness thought the SUV ran over the woman’s legs. Video of the incident shows the vehicle coming very close to the victim and then quickly swerving around her at the last second. From where the witness was positioned at the time, it probably looked like the woman was run over," Linders explained. 

"Ultimately, the autopsy didn’t show any signs of trauma consistent with being run over. 

When officers and medics with the fire department arrived on the scene, the woman was lying in a pool of blood near the southwest corner of the intersection, police said, and was not breathing. They attempted first aid and got her into an ambulance, but she did not survive. 

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