February 22, 2022
ST. PAUL, Minnesota—A 15-year-old has been arrested in the “random,” fatal shooting of a 34-year-old businesswoman in her vehicle in St. Paul last week, reports Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
Julia (Yuliya) Li was driving in the Payne-Phalen area when the “suspect opened fire, taking her life,” police spokesman Steve Linders stated on Tuesday, February 22.
Authorities responded to the 1000 block of Payne Avenue around 6:45 p.m. last Wednesday. Li was taken to Regions Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries a short time later.
Minneapolis police officers arrested the 15-year-old suspect Tuesday afternoon in Minneapolis. He is currently being held in Hennepin County on suspicion of second-degree murder and other crimes allegedly committed in Hennepin County, reports Twin Cities.
The 15-year-old suspect is also being charged with murder in Ramsey County and prosecutors filed a motion to have the teen certified to stand trial as an adult.
Li joined H.B. Fuller, a publicly-traded Fortune 1000 company headquartered in Vadnais Heights, in a marketing role back in July 2017. She recently worked as a global business director and also led the company’s Amazon business project, according to Twin Cities.
“This tragic, senseless violence brought an end to the life of a bright, well-respected, committed, hard-working professional who will be greatly missed by everyone who knew her,” said H.B. Fuller President and CEO Jim Owens in a statement.
“It is even more gut-wrenching to learn that the young suspect had committed other violent crimes but had been released,” Owens’ statement continued. “Our mayors, government officials, and judicial officials need to create a system that does not allow young criminals to terrorize our community. Had they done a better job, Julia would be alive today.”
The 15-year-old suspect has an “extensive and violent criminal history,” Linders stated.
Li was originally from Kazakhstan in central Asia and moved to the U.S. in 2007 to study at the University of Minnesota. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in economics and global studies.
Feature Image via H.B. Fuller