Suspect Sought In Columbia Heights Homicide Investigation
COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minn. (WCCO) – A killer is on the run Thursday after a man was found dead inside a Columbia Heights apartment building.
The Anoka County Sheriff's Office released a photo of the man they're seeking. They don't have his name yet, but say he goes by the nickname "Ox."
Police describe the suspect as a black man in his mid-30s, standing 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-10, weighing 220 pounds, with a dread hairstyle and slight beard. He also may have a tattoo of a red flower on his left forearm. He is possibly driving a mid-sized silver vehicle.
Authorities are searching for him in connection to a homicide at an apartment building on 1000 41st Avenue Northeast.
Officers were called to the apartment building around 4:30 a.m. and found a 31-year-old man who appeared to have suffered a violent death. The victim's name has not been released.
Several of the apartment occupants were interviewed Thursday by police; others fled before officers arrived.
Cmdr. Paul Sommer of the Anoka County Sheriff's Office says the suspect and the victim didn't know each other prior to meeting early Thursday inside one of the apartment units.
"In an investigation like this, we don't release a lot of details because at this point only the suspect knows the manner in which the death was caused," Sommer said.
Diane Traczyk, who lives in the apartment building, said she didn't hear anything Thursday morning. She added that it shocked her to find police and news media outside her home.
"It's a very nice neighborhood," she said.
Police say the suspect should be considered dangerous. The public is advised not to engage him but to call police.
Anyone with information on the killing or the suspect is asked to call Columbia Heights police at 763-706-8100 or the Anoka County Sheriff's Office at 763-427-1212.
