Man Fatally Stabbed In St. Paul ID'd, Suspect In Custody

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Police have identified the man who was fatally stabbed early Wednesday morning in St. Paul near the intersection of North Rice Street and Aurora Avenue West as 25-year-old Desmond Deshawn Harper.

And Tim Davin Dortch, 38, of St. Paul, has been taken into custody on suspicion of murder, authorities say.

St. Paul police officers were called to the intersection just after 1 a.m. Wednesday on a report of two people fighting. When police arrived, authorities found Harper, who died at the scene, and two other men.

Harper's death is not believed to be random, police said. In the hours since the incident, investigators have determined that it may have been the result of a brief verbal spat that began on Metro Transit bus route 16.

Police say the interaction between Harper and Dortch escalated once they got off the bus at Rice and Aurora.