Shortly after 4:20 a.m. on November 23, 2025, the quiet of South St. Cloud was shattered by gunfire that woke residents and drew an urgent police response. The incident occurred on the 800 block of 8th Avenue South, an area that blends modest single-family homes, small apartment buildings, and commercial properties near the southern edge of St. Cloud State University. At that early hour, most people in the neighborhood were asleep, but the abrupt sounds of shots rang out, alarming those who lived nearby. When officers arrived within minutes of the first calls to dispatchers, they found two individuals suffering from serious injuries. One of the victims, a 44-year-old St. Cloud resident, had been struck by gunfire twice, while the second, a 55-year-old person, was injured after attempting to intervene in the violent conflict. According to authorities and medical personnel at a nearby hospital, both victims were transported quickly and later determined to be seriously injured—but, crucially, not in life-threatening condition—providing some reassurance to a shaken community still absorbing the realities of what had just occurred.

Responding officers worked swiftly upon arrival to secure the scene and preserve evidence. They located multiple shell casings on the street and recovered a handgun believed to be used in the shooting, actions that would prove pivotal as the investigation unfolded. The situation escalated briefly when a suspect attempted to flee on foot, prompting officers to give chase. The pursuit was short, however, and ended with the arrest of 31-year-old Austin Gerads, a St. Cloud resident. Law enforcement later highlighted that the successful apprehension resulted from coordinated work among officers on the ground, thorough neighborhood canvassing, witness accounts, and rapid review of surveillance cameras in the vicinity. Although the early morning hours had been chaotic, authorities stressed that Gerads was taken into custody without further incident, and at no point did they believe there was an ongoing threat to other residents in the area.

The gravity of the situation was compounded by the fact that the area where the incident unfolded is one where everyday residential life mixes with student activity from the nearby university. While the streets were mostly quiet and largely devoid of people due to the hour, the abrupt eruption of raised voices, yelling, and multiple gunshots drew startled reactions from neighbors who had been roused from sleep. Some witnesses described watching patrol cars flood the block moments after the shooting, their lights flashing and sirens wailing as officers quickly established police lines and directed foot and vehicle traffic away from the scene. Yellow police tape soon cordoned off the area, demarcating the perimeter for investigators and keeping onlookers at bay. For many in the neighborhood, stepping outside into the cold morning chill only to encounter flashing lights, uniformed officers, and blocked-off street corners was a stark and frightening contrast to the familiar calm of their usual routines, prompting lingering questions about safety and community stability.

With the scene secure, a thorough multi-agency investigative effort began to piece together exactly what had happened. Personnel from the St. Cloud Police Department worked in tandem with members of the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Investigators meticulously photographed and cataloged shell casings, examined the recovered firearm, and conducted detailed sweeps of the area to locate additional physical evidence. The interior and exterior spaces of the building tied to the shooting were examined for trace evidence, while detectives continued canvassing nearby residences for any eyewitness accounts or surveillance footage that might shed light on the events leading up to the violence. Several neighbors reported hearing a heated argument immediately before the gunshots rang out, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps. One resident recounted stepping out in slippers to witness a man sprinting across the pavement as officers yelled commands during the foot pursuit. That vivid image, emblematic of the intensity and suddenness of the confrontation, remained with many in the neighborhood long after the police vehicles and investigators had cleared the scene.

Later that same morning, Police Chief Jonathan Romanow addressed the public during a press briefing, offering additional updates and attempting to reassure a concerned community. He confirmed that Gerads had been arrested in connection with the shooting and reiterated that both victims were expected to survive their injuries. Chief Romanow emphasized that authorities had recovered what they believed to be the weapon used and that investigators were still working to clarify the exact sequence of events and motive behind the incident. Preliminary information suggested that the suspect and at least one of the victims were acquainted, which led law enforcement to believe that the violence may have originated from a dispute rather than a random act of aggression. Throughout the day, forensic analysts matched ballistic markings from the recovered handgun to the shell casings found at the scene. Detectives also began analyzing digital evidence, including surveillance footage from nearby cameras and cellphone records, in an effort to construct a comprehensive timeline of what transpired before, during, and after the shooting.

In the aftermath of the arrest, legal proceedings moved swiftly. Gerads was formally charged with multiple serious offenses, including two counts of first-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and felony possession of a handgun without a permit under Minnesota law. First-degree assault charges carry significant prison sentences if a conviction is secured, and Gerads was booked into the Stearns County Jail, where he was held without bail pending a preliminary hearing. Local officials responded to the incident with public statements aimed at calming residents and reinforcing confidence in public safety efforts. Mayor Dave Kleis urged community members to remain calm and cooperative as the investigation continued, while also announcing an increase in patrols in the affected area to reassure concerned neighbors. St. Cloud State University released its own statement, reminding students and staff of campus safety resources available to them. As the neighborhood gradually returned to its routine rhythms, conversations among residents turned to broader issues of gun access, early-morning confrontations, and collective safety. The abrupt eruption of violence served as a sobering reminder of how quickly a typical morning can be upended and how long it might take for both individual and community senses of normalcy to fully return.