35-year-old male jogger struck and killed near campus

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A memorial of flowers and a pair of running shoes rest at the intersection where Scott Spoo was struck and killed. The driver stopped and stayed for questioning before being taken into custody by police. (Simeon Lancaster/TommieMedia.)

A 35-year-old male jogger is dead after being hit by an SUV at the intersection of Dayton Avenue and Mississippi River Boulevard on Wednesday night.

Police identified the victim as Scott Allen Spoo, an avid jogger and engineer at 3M on Feb. 23.

Police Public Information Coordinator Steve Linders said the call came in at 5:15 p.m. and that the victim was dead at the scene. Witnesses told police that the driver of the SUV, 60-year-old Peter Holmes Berge, seemed distracted. When police arrived they took the driver into custody and said he was impaired.

“What we have right now is an incredibly tragic situation,” Linders said. “An adult male apparently went out for a jog

and was struck by a driver who was impaired.”

This was the first fatal pedestrian accident of the year in St. Paul compared to four by this time last year, according to Linders. Witnesses said the man was struck while crossing the street.

The USTALERT system was triggered on Wednesday night at 6:40 p.m. notifying the St. Thomas community that an unidentified male jogger was involved in an accident near campus.

A second USTALERT was sent out at 8:57 p.m. notifying the community that the jogger was identified as a 35-year-old male and had no known affiliation with St. Thomas.

Check TommieMedia later as this story develops.