Jason Mikulak, a 41-year-old father of two, was fatally shot on a St. Paul street Thursday, and his family is looking for answers.
Police told Mikulak’s relatives that he was the victim of an attempted robbery in the North End, said Nicole Gonzalez, the mother of his oldest daughter.
“It’s just shocking,” she said Friday. “He was a good dad, loved his kids. He worked, was a stand up-guy. No drinking, no drugs.” Mikulak didn’t have a criminal history or enemies that his family knew of, Gonzalez said.
St. Paul police were called to a report of a robbery on Galtier Street, near Orange Avenue, about 4 a.m. Thursday and found Mikulak critically injured outside, mid-block. Paramedics pronounced Mikulak, of Minneapolis, dead at the scene.
MN Police Clips, which reports on emergency radio traffic, indicated that someone called police to report a male attempted to take her car and had shot her boyfriend.
A suspect was last seen running northwest from the crime scene. He was described as a black man in his mid-20s, with a medium complexion, thin build, wearing dark-colored clothing and having a high-pitched voice.
No one had been arrested as of Friday and the circumstances that led to the shooting remain under investigation, a police spokesman said. Police are still asking anyone with information to come forward.
“We would like closure,” Gonzalez said.
Mikulak lived most of his life in the Twin Cities. He previously worked as a long-haul truck driver and liked seeing different parts of the country, Gonzalez said. More recently, Mikulak was a truck driver for Holiday Stationstores’ commissary; he worked there for about six years, according to the company.
“He was a down-to-earth, hardworking man,” Gonzalez said, who also described Mikulak as funny and someone who liked to keep to himself. He was mechanically inclined and enjoyed working on cars in his spare time.
Mikulak leaves behind his daughters, who are 2 and 16, nieces and nephews, his mother and four siblings, according to Gonzalez.
St. Paul police also continue to investigate the fatal shooting of Kin Reynolds Jr., 26, in Frogtown on Tuesday, which is believed to be unrelated to Mikulak’s homicide.
Police are asking anyone with information in either case to call 651-266-5650.