Arrest made in fatal shooting of St. Cloud State University professor

June 22, 2021

ST. CLOUD, Minn. (AP) — The St. Cloud man who was killed while standing in his doorway Sunday in what police say was a random shooting has been identified as a longtime university professor.

Sixty-eight-year-old Ed Ward taught at St. Cloud State University for more than three decades.

University President Robbyn Wacker says Ward’s death is a “heart-wrenching and unexpected loss” and that Ward “has impacted countless students, faculty and staff throughout his tenure.”

St. Cloud police say 45-year-old Jason Beckman of Duluth (pictured) was arrested a short time after Ward was shot multiple times.

Beckman is in the Stearns County Jail awaiting charges.

It is believed it was was a random shooting. There were no known connections between Beckman and Ward.