Crime & Safety

Man Fatally Shot in St. Paul Robbery Grew Up in Hopkins

Police Shot Melvin D. Fletcher Jr. as he tried to flee.

The man fatally shot Monday during the robbery of a St. Paul Kowalski’s grew up in Hopkins, according to press reports.

St. Paul police shot 20-year-old Melvin D. Fletcher Jr. as he tried to flee the Grand Avenue Kowalski's Markets.

The Pioneer Press reported that Fletcher grew up in Hopkins. He had previously been convicted of robbing a bank when he was 16—a crime he reportedly committed with former Hopkins High School basketball star Anthony DiLoreto.

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Hopkins police report that they also had a number of calls involving Fletcher.

School District spokeswoman Jolene Goldade said he attended Alice Smith as an elementary schoole and left Hopkins Public Schools in 2008 as a sophomore.

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"A lot of teachers knew him very well and are struggling," she said.

Patch will have more information as it becomes available. If you have a memory of Fletcher you’d like to share, please post it in the comments below or contact editor James Warden at 612-889-6452 or james.warden@patch.com.


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