A 26-year-old St. Paul man was the victim of a South Minneapolis homicide on the Fourth of July, the medical examiner’s office announced Monday.

Mario Martinez Ramirez-Hernandez died in the emergency room of a gunshot wound of the head and neck.

Minneapolis firefighters were flagged down about 11:20 p.m. Friday to check a man who was unconscious on the ground in the 2700 block of Bloomington Avenue, and they immediately began CPR, according to Minneapolis police.

Police found evidence that multiple gunshots had been fired, and are investigating the circumstances of the shooting.

“Someone knows what happened to this man,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara said in a Saturday statement. “We need anyone with information, no matter how minor it may seem, to share that information with us.”

No one was under arrest as of Monday afternoon.

Police asked anyone with information to contact them at policetips@minneapolismn.gov or by leaving a voicemail at 612-673-5845. Those who want to remain anonymous can contact CrimeStoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or CrimeStoppersMN.org.

— Mara H. Gottfried

St. Paul >> Downtown

‘Yappy Hour’ celebrates new off-leash dog area

St. Paul Parks and Rec is hosting a free “Yappy Hour” for dogs and their people 4-6 p.m. Wednesday at its newest dog park downtown.

The city last month fenced in a modest off-leash dog park at Kellogg Mall Park. Parks and Rec public service manager Clare Cloyd said residents for years have asked the department to carve out a space for dogs.

“Yappy Hour is our way of promoting the new dog park, which is there for residents and visitors,” she said.

The event offers free nail trimming by Howliday Pet Spa. For humans, there will be music by Will Effertz, food by Cheeky Chicks Food Truck and games such as table tennis and cornhole.

Yappy Hour is part of the parks department’s “Kick it at Kellogg Mall Park” promotional series.

Activities planned through August include free coffee, food trucks, kids story time, yoga and concerts. For more information, visit kelloggmallpark.com.

— Safiya Mohamed

New Richmond, Wis.

Motorcyclist dies of injuries from crash

A 61-year-old motorcyclist from New Richmond, Wis., died Sunday of injuries he received in a crash last week in Erin Prairie Township, authorities in St. Croix County said.

The crash occurred about 6:53 p.m. Thursday at the intersection of County Highway T and County Highway G, about eight miles southeast of New Richmond.

Officials say Richard A. VanWagner was driving a 2023 Harley Davidson motorcycle on northbound Highway T, which has a stop sign where it meets Highway G.

Authorities say he failed to yield to traffic traveling on Highway G, which had the right of way. His motorcycle was struck by the driver of a 2006 Buick Lacrosse.

VanWagner was not wearing a helmet and was taken to the hospital where he died of his injuries on Sunday. The driver of the Buick, 19-year-old Cadence T. Miller of Roberts, Wis., was wearing a seatbelt. She was treated at the scene.

The death marks the sixth traffic fatality in St. Croix County this year.

— Kristi Miller

Wahpeton, N.D.

Crews contain acid leak near Minnesota border

Hazmat crews battled wind and rain Monday as they worked to clean up a hydrochloric acid spill near the Cargill plant, located about 6 miles north of Wahpeton.

The spill involved approximately 2,000 gallons of hydrochloric acid leaking from a storage tank, prompting multiple evacuations and shelter-in-place orders.

The Richland County emergency manager told WDAY News that heavy rain early in the day delayed cleanup efforts, though work was largely completed by Monday evening and roads leading to the plant were reopened.

The Cargill facility sits near the Red River, but officials have not confirmed whether the spill posed any threat to the waterway.

— Forum news services

2020 election

Lindell’s lawyers fined for AI motion errors

A judge fined two attorneys for Mike Lindell, CEO of Chaska company MyPillow, $3,000 apiece Monday for filing a motion riddled with AI-generated errors in a case that resulted in a jury finding Lindell liable for defamation over false claims that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Judge Nina Y. Wang, of the U.S. District Court in Denver, found attorneys Christopher I. Kachouroff and Jennifer T. DeMaster violated court rules when they filed a motion that featured numerous errors, including citations from nonexistent cases.

Kachouroff acknowledged using generative artificial intelligence to draft a motion during a pretrial hearing after the mistakes were found.

— The Denver Post