Motive sought in fatal shooting of 9-year-old boy

OAKDALE, Minn. — Police were still trying to determine Tuesday why a 34-year-old man randomly shot at passing vehicles in a suburban St. Paul neighborhood, wounding a female driver and killing her 9-year-old son, an aspiring astronaut whom she'd just picked up from daycare.

A witness said that the man, whom police identified Tuesday as Nhan Lap Tran of Oakdale, was nonchalantly walking down the block the night before, as if he was on a stroll, when he began firing his handgun at cars.

Devin Aryal, 9, of Oakdale was killed. His mother, Melissa Aryal, 39, was shot in the arm. A woman in another vehicle also was injured, but was expected to survive.

Police Chief Bill Sullivan said it appeared Tran legally owned the handgun used in the attack, and officials were trying to determine if something happened to trigger the shootings.

Tran was arrested without incident about a half-mile away from where the shooting started. He was in custody Tuesday on suspicion of second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

Devin's mother, Melissa Aryal, described her son as a happy-go-lucky boy who loved soccer, math and science.

"He loved life. He loved everybody," she said.