An 11-month-old girl died after falling Tuesday evening from a ninth-floor window at the Skyline Tower apartments in St. Paul.
The girl, who was not immediately identified, died shortly after being taken to Regions Hospital from the 24-story high-rise, which overlooks the north side of Interstate 94, west of Lexington Parkway.
Resident Anthony Parker was playing with his two young girls on a gravel-surfaced playground on the south side of the building just after 7 p.m., when he looked up and saw several children "leaning back and forth out of the window" of an apartment above him.
"They were laughing and giggling, just playing," Parker said. "The screen was ripped open."
He said he turned around and seconds later, "I just heard a loud smack." A toddler had landed on the playground and was unresponsive.
The other children, whose ages he estimated were from 7 to 10 years old, were leaning out the window, screaming and crying. He said he didn't see any adults.
Parker immediately called security, and other residents rushed to the scene within moments.
Police were called to the building at 1247 St. Anthony Ave. at 7:20 p.m. They were still investigating the incident late Tuesday.
The child reportedly was visiting relatives at the apartment; it was unclear whether she lived there, police said.
Skyline Tower, which offers more than 500 units of federally subsidized housing, is run by CommonBond Communities, a St. Paul-based nonprofit developer.