A man was on drugs and paranoid when he fatally shot a friend he accused of “setting him up” in St. Paul over the weekend, according to a murder charge filed Monday.

A witness reported that Tarik H. Hassan, 32, tried to calm Spencer Curtis McAloney for more than an hour.

The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged McAloney, 27, of Rosemount, with intentional murder in the shooting of Hassan and the attempted murder of another man in the Frogtown neighborhood.

Police responded at 1:38 a.m. Sunday to multiple 911 calls reporting shots fired in an apartment on Victoria Street between Minnehaha Avenue and Pierce Butler Route. Officers found Hassan lying on the apartment’s living room floor with multiple gunshot wounds to his torso. A handgun was under him.

St. Paul Fire Department medics pronounced Hassan dead at the scene.

Arrest nearby

Police saw a parked Toyota Camry running nearby and an officer heard a loud noise coming from its direction believed to possibly be a gunshot. Officers ran toward the Toyota, which sped away with its headlights off. The driver sideswiped a parked Cadillac as it fled.

An officer pursued the Toyota for just over a block before it crashed into another parked vehicle on Englewood Avenue, cracking the Toyota’s windshield. The driver, identified as McAloney, matched the description of the shooter that 911 callers had provided, the complaint said.

Officers arrested McAloney, who was bleeding from his mouth, nose and eye. He did not give a statement to police.

Police found suspected drugs in McAloney’s pocket and an empty gun holster on his waistband, according to the complaint. A handgun was visible in the driver’s footwell area. It was missing a magazine and had a tactical flashlight attached to it.

Signs of drugs in apartment

Homicide investigators went to the scene, and saw drug paraphernalia in the apartment including burned tinfoil and scales. Investigators learned the apartment “has been the source of numerous complaints of drug dealing and use,” the complaint said.

Spencer Curtis McAloney (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)

A person who arrived at Hassan’s apartment on Saturday night said there were about 10 people there, including Hassan’s friend, McAloney. Hassan dealt fentanyl, according to the complaint.

When McAloney was acting paranoid, Hassan “tried to reason” with him, “but it didn’t help,” the complaint said of the witness’ report. “… McAloney said people were after him, and he accused (Hassan) of setting him up. (Hassan) continuously reassured McAloney that he was safe and told McAloney to go calm down, but McAloney’s behavior continued to escalate.”

Hassan was in his bedroom when someone knocked and told him, “Your man’s tweaking — he’s got his pole out pointed at us!” The witness didn’t see a gun in Hassan’s hands when he left the bedroom. Hassan tried again to reason with McAloney, the witness heard a “volley” of shots, and people ran away screaming, the complaint said.

Investigators talked to a man who lives in a different apartment in the building. He said he went outside for a cigarette, heard arguing coming from Hassan’s apartment and found four to five people smoking fentanyl in the laundry room. He heard gunshots coming from the building.

A man who matched McAloney’s description left Hassan’s apartment and confronted the man who’d gone out for a cigarette. He asked, “Who are you?” pointed a gun at his chest and pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. The resident escaped back into his apartment and locked the door.

Hassan is jailed and due to make his first court appearance in the case on Tuesday. An attorney wasn’t listed for him in the court file.

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Republican attorney Chris Madel on Monday announced his 2026 campaign for Minnesota governor, pledging to fight fraud, cut taxes, improve education outcomes and defend law enforcement officials.

Madel, who recently represented Ryan Londregan, a state trooper who faced prosecution by Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty for fatally shooting a man during a traffic stop, said he entered the race because he felt the need to address fraud, public safety and declining education outcomes.

“We’ve become a national embarrassment, and that is getting increasingly difficult for all of us just to stand and to watch this happen without standing up and just doing something about it,” he told reporters at a news conference at his law firm in downtown Minneapolis.

Madel is a first-time candidate joining an increasingly crowded field of candidates seeking the Republican endorsement to challenge Democratic-Farmer-Labor Gov. Tim Walz next year.

Walz is seeking a third term as governor, and Madel is the latest GOP candidate to make the significant levels of government fraud under the DFL leader’s watch a central theme in his campaign.

Legal career

The 58-year-old attorney originally hails from Waseca in southern Minnesota and attended Macalester College in St. Paul before earning his law degree at the University of Michigan. Before starting his own legal practice, he worked for the Minneapolis law firm Robins Kaplan, where he led the business litigation department.

Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan’s attorney Chris Madel is drowned out by protesters after a hearing for his client at the Hennepin County Government Center on Monday, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Mark Vancleave)

Most of Madel’s work has been in the civil realm, but he has taken criminal defense cases in recent years, including for Londregan. In that case, Madel was able to get Mary Moriarty to drop murder charges against Londregan for the shooting of Ricky Cobb II in a 2023 Minneapolis traffic stop.

Walz said his office would have legally intervened if Hennepin County had not dropped the case, though Moriarty insisted pressure from the governor had nothing to do with her decision.

“We’re going to back the blue, not with empty words, but actually with the courage to back it up,” Madel said at the Monday news conference. “The days of law enforcement not being able to do their job are over. It is high time that we let cops do their jobs without some jackass politician second-guessing their every move.”

Madel said he was uniquely qualified to tackle fraud in Minnesota — pointing to his past work investigating an alleged campaign contribution fraud scheme in college football’s Fiesta Bowl, vendor fraud at Best Buy and fraud at Crown Bank. There were eventually convictions in all three cases.

He’s also represented Minnesota conservative news outlet Alpha News and the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. In 2003, he defended Minnesota Twins outfielder Kirby Puckett in a sexual assault case.

Response from DFL, GOP

After announcing his bid for governor, Madel faced criticism from the DFL party for his criminal defense work.

“Madel desperately wants to be seen as a pragmatist, yet he jumps to defend criminals charged with hate crimes against our communities,” DFL Chair Richard Carlbom said. “With such a checkered history of clients, he lacks a moral compass to be Governor.”

Madel defended his past work, saying legal representation in a criminal case is a basic right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.

“If that’s the best you’ve got, it looks like I’m going to be your next governor,” he said, noting that 90% of his work is civil litigation.

Republicans took aim at Madel for his past political contributions to Democrats, including Walz and former President Joe Biden. Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, said those contributions cast doubt on Madel’s conservative credentials.

“The contrast could not be more clear. I am the only candidate in this race who has a consistent conservative record and the ability to defeat Tim Walz and win next November,” she said in statement. “As far back as 2006, Chris has supported Tim Walz, whose policies have hurt Minnesota families and businesses through higher taxes, rampant fraud, and extreme social policies that hurt our kids.”

‘Zero apologies’

Madel said he supported Walz decades ago when he was a southern Minnesota Congressman with a reputation for moderate views and strong support from the National Rifle Association. When asked at his campaign launch news conference, he defended his approach to the Democratic governor, saying he had “zero apologies.”

Madel said he plans to seek support not only from Republicans but also from moderate Democrats.

Other Republicans running for governor in 2026 include state House Speaker Lisa Demuth; 2022 gubernatorial candidate Scott Jensen, a doctor who rose to prominence for his criticism of state COVID policy; state Rep. Robbins; 2022 Republican endorsement contender Kendall Qualls, a former congressional candidate; and businessman Patrick Knight.

Walz is seeking an unprecedented third consecutive four-year term as governor. So far, Walz is the only DFLer running for governor in 2026.

No Republican has won a statewide election since 2006, when then-Gov. Tim Pawlenty won a second term. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton was elected in 2010 and served from 2011 to 2019. Walz followed.

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State lawmakers have secured $250,000 to commemorate photographer, filmmaker, author and activist Gordon Parks in St. Paul.

Rep. Samakab Hussein, DFL-St. Paul, and Sen. Foung Hawj, DFL-St. Paul announced the legislative appropriation on Sunday. It is intended to commemorate Parks, who began his photography career in St. Paul.

While plans for the memorial are still in development, Parks’ grandniece Robin Hickman-Winfield, Landmark Center executive director Amy Mino and others have discussed having a statue of Parks erected in Landmark Plaza. The project would be part of a “living memorial,” which Hickman-Winfield said goes beyond just a physical structure but has included other efforts to continue Parks’ legacy, such as the Gordon Parks High School in St. Paul or exhibits on Parks’ work.

Parks was born in Fort Scott, Kan., in 1912 but moved to St. Paul as a boy after his mother died. He would last return to St. Paul in 1998 to perform with a symphony orchestra at Landmark Center. He died in 2006 in New York at age 93.

“I am proud to have taken part in creating this living memorial to Parks, whose artistic journey began here in St. Paul,” Hawj said in a statement Monday. “While he traveled across the country in his lifetime, Minnesota is where he bought his first camera — his chosen ‘weapon’ against poverty and racism. Gordon Parks represents the best of Minnesota and the best of St. Paul. He made his dreams real and inspires people, young and old, to do the same today.”

Plans are also in development to create a permanent immersive exhibit featuring Parks’ works at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Hickman-Winfield said she expects there will be additional fundraising for that exhibit and it could be completed as early as March.

A permanent exhibit at the airport would cost around $75,000 a year, said Don Shelby, Hickman-Winfield’s longtime friend. Shelby suggested the exhibit in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

“I just think this exhibit is a good look on the Twin Cities and it celebrates one of the most important artists of all time,” Shelby said.

Parks got his start with photography, taking pictures at Frank Murphy’s store in downtown St. Paul. He went on to shoot fashion for Vogue, capture scenes of poverty in America for Life magazine and images of segregation for the Farm Security Administration. He was also a composer and the first Black director — he was best known for 1971’s “Shaft” — at a major Hollywood studio.

To see Gordon Parks’ photography and learn more about his life and his career, go to gordonparksfoundation.org.

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City Limits rounds up the latest housing and land use-related events, public hearings and affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

A co-op building in Queens. The City Council will hold a hearing Tuesday on transparency at co-op housing across the city. (Adi Talwar/City Limits)

Welcome to City Limits’ NYC Housing Calendar, a weekly feature where we round up the latest housing and land use-related events and hearings, as well as affordable housing lotteries that are ending soon.

Know of an event we should include in next week’s calendar? Email us.

Upcoming housing and land use-related events:

Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 9 a.m.: The Landmarks Preservation Commission will decide on whether to consider the following sites for landmarks designation: Public School 15 Annex/362 Schermerhorn St.; Church of Saint Mary/440 Grand St.; and the Lithuanian Alliance Building/ 307 West 30th St. More here.

Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on Housing and Buildings will hold an oversight hearing on transparency in New York City co-ops. The meeting will also include discussion of a bill that would require co-op boards to disclose their reasons for rejecting an applicant, and another that would legalize single-room occupancy apartments (shared housing). More here.

Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 3 p.m.: The Atlantic Yards Community Development Corporation, which monitors construction impacts and quality of life issues related to the Atlantic Yards/Pacific Park project in downtown Brooklyn, will hold a public meeting. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Committee on General Welfare will hold an oversight hearing on the city’s housing voucher program, CityFHEPS. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.: The NYC Council’s Subcommittee on Zoning and Franchises will review the following land use applications: MTA 125th and Lexington Rezoning, Herkimer-Williams and 18-15 Francis Lewis Boulevard Commercial Overlay. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10 a.m.: The City Planning Commission will meet to vote on the following projects: 1417 Avenue U Rezoning and 150 Flagg Place. It will hold public hearings on the following: ACS – 1000 -1034 Dean Street, Seaside Park & Community Arts Ctr Special Permit, 1325 Ave of the Americas-Text Amendment/Cert and 33-01 11th Street Rezoning. More here.

Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 10:30 a.m.: The NYC Public Housing Preservation Trust will hold its next board meeting. More here.

NYC Affordable Housing Lotteries: The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) are closing lotteries on the following subsidized buildings over the next week.

2250 Aqueduct Avenue Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $90,686 – $261,170 (last day to apply is 12/3)

Vleigh 77, Queens, for households earning between $69,155 – $189,540 (last day to apply is 12/4)

64-08 Wetherole Street Apartments, Queens, for households earning between $92,812 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 12/5)

897 New York Avenue Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between  $101,280 – $227,500 (last day to apply is 12/5)

Mosholu Concourse Apartments, Bronx, for households earning between $58,698 – $120,540 (last day to apply is 12/5)

Concern Logan, Brooklyn, for households earning between $55,166 – $105,000 (last day to apply is 12/5)

One Sunset Apartments, Brooklyn, for households earning between $28,766 – $189,540 (last day to apply is 12/5)

The post NYC Housing Calendar, Dec. 1-8 appeared first on City Limits.