10-year old boy killed in random Minnesota shooting

A 33-year old man stood in the street in Oakdale, Minnesota, firing at random passing cars.

In those cars were a 10 year old boy and two other individuals.  The boy was killed.  The others were wounded.

The motive of the shooter is unclear, and his targets were apparently random.

From an article:

The 33-year-old gunman, who was in police custody Monday night, began firing a handgun about 6:10 p.m. while standing in the street near Hadley Avenue N. and 7th Street N., said Oakdale police Capt. Jack Kettler. 

At least two vehicles struck by bullets sped into the parking lot of the nearby Rainbow Foods at 7053 10th St. N. seeking help. 

Kettler said the shootings appeared to be entirely random and the motive of the gunman, whose name was not released, was unclear. 

"God only knows what motivates someone to do this," Kettler said. "It's happening way too often," he added, referring to recent random shootings across the country. 

Residents of homes near the intersection of Hadley and 7th said they heard two bursts of gunfire, each consisting of four to six shots, about a minute apart. 

"We have three victims that we know of at this time who received gunshot wounds," Kettler said late Monday. He said that other vehicles could have been struck by gunfire and their drivers may not know it yet. 

Kettler would not say more about the victims, where they were shot or what vehicles they were in. They were taken to Regions Hospital, where one, a 68-year-old woman, was listed in good condition late Monday. 

About 10 minutes after the shooting, the gunman was taken into custody by officers, who subdued him and retrieved the weapon, Kettler said. No one was hurt during the arrest.

From another article about this shooting:

Kettler said the shootings appeared to be entirely random and the motive of the gunman, whose name was not released, was unclear.

"God only knows what motivates someone to do this," Kettler said. "It's happening way too often," he added, referring to recent random shootings across the country. (...)

Oakdale Mayor Carmen Sarrack expressed shock and grief at the shootings, saying such events are rare in the east metro suburb.

"It's sick," said the mayor, thinking of his own five grandchildren. "What can you say when a 10-year-old is killed. ... You just feel so bad for the family. They were just out driving by on a February night. It's just a shame. People here are devastated that this could happen in our city, especially when the nation is grappling with gun control."

Jennifer McNeil, a spokeswoman for the North St. Paul-Maplewood-Oakdale School District, said school officials will have a crisis team, including social workers and psychologists, available for students on Tuesday.

The name of the 10 year old shot and the shooter have now been revealed in this article: 

from Minneapolis Star Tribune

A 34-year-old man is in jail Tuesday, accused of randomly shooting at passing vehicles in his Oakdale neighborhood, killing a 9-year-old boy and wounding the child's mother and another woman.

Nhan L. Tran, whose home is a few blocks from the two shooting scenes near 7th Street N., began firing a handgun about 6:10 p.m. Monday while standing along the road, police said.

Melissa Aryal identified her son, Devin, as the boy who was shot while the two were in the same vehicle. Melissa Aryal, 39, also was wounded, then taken to Regions Hospital, treated and released, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Witnesses gave different accounts of how the shooter was behaving -- one saying he appeared calm and another describing him as paranoid. Cheryl Russell, who lives across the street from the suspect's home, said Tuesday that she looked out a window from her home and saw the man shooting at vehicles at two locations.

In an interview from her home, Melissa Aryal said she and Devin were just leaving day care, when the shooting began.

"He was so proud because he did all his homework at day care," said the mom, who goes by Missy. "He wanted to come home and play for the evening."

She said they both heard a noise under the hood, and as she braked to turn onto Hadley Avenue, she felt her arm go numb. She swerved into the Rainbow parking lot a half-block away, called 911, got out and then saw Devin slumped in the back seat.

Tuesday morning, officials at Devin's school called and wept on the phone with his mother, Aryal said.

"The kids are having a hard time because he was just a lovable little boy," she said. "Everybody knew him and loved him." (...) 

"He was walking very erratically," Lowen said, offering a different perspective on Tran's demeanor than what Russell described. "He kept doing full 360s looking behind him, looking very paranoid. He was making sure no one saw him, is what it looked like."

Lowen said the suspect walked in circles about four times before crossing Hadley into a parking lot.

Police are coordinating their investigation with the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. More information from authorities was expected to be released Tuesday afternoon.

At Devin's home, Aryal hugged his only sibling, 18-year-old Savanna LaVenture. Behind them on the living-room television was a newscaster speaking about 151 mass shootings in 2012.

"I don't know how anyone can do senseless shootings," the sobbing mother said, her bullet-wounded arm in a sling, her hospital slippers still on from the evening before.

She talked of Devin, the bespectacled boy who liked ice cream for supper.

He looked up to his older sister, often showering her with gifts, the teen said, including some of his dozens of stuff animals.

Devin loved soccer, and he also loved gazing at the night skies with his telescope, dreaming of becoming an astronaut, said his family and a family friend.

"Everybody knew him and loved him," Aryal said. "He would talk to anyone and everyone."

UPDATE (2/12/13): Another article describes the anguish of Devin's mother:

Missy Aryal was driving up 7th Street in Oakdale, Minn. on Monday night when she heard a sound, then felt blood running down her arm. 

While tending to her arm, the mother looked into her rear view mirror and saw her son – 9-year-old Devin Aryal – slumped over in the back seat. She pulled into the Rainbow Foods parking lot, held her dying son in her arms and cried for help. 

"I was just holding his head in my arms until the ambulance came, just crying hysterically and I just kind of held onto him," Aryal said. 

Devin, a fourth grader at Oakdale Elementary, had a gunshot wound to the head. All his mother could do was hold him in her arms and hear him take his final breaths.  

"I told him 'I love you, hold on,'' and I just kept screaming for more help," Aryal said. "He was a remarkable boy. He loved life, he loved everybody. Everybody loved him."

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