Name: St. Paul police chief considering firing officer who shot man, preparing to release body cam footage
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St. Paul police chief considering firing officer who shot man, preparing to release body cam footage

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By | | Pioneer PressSt. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell is considering terminating the officer who shot and wounded a man this weekend, a law enforcement source said Monday.Axtell is planning to release body-camera footage from the incident on Tuesday or Wednesday.The officer received written notice that Axtell wanted to meet with him on Tuesday, according to the St. Paul Police Federation. Its leaders haven’t seen the body-camera footage.Police said in a statement several hours after the that the man, who was hiding in a dumpster in the North End neighborhood, climbed out and ran toward officers. Officials have not detailed why the officer shot him or indicated whether the man was armed at the time.Officers began searching for the man after police were dispatched to a crash at Maryland Avenue and Rice Street shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday. Police were told that a man, who ran from the crash, was armed with a knife and involved in a kidnapping, criminal sexual conduct and aggravated assault with the knife, according to a police report.The shooting happened about 9:15 p.m., after police said they found the man hiding in a dumpster near Rice Street and Magnolia Avenue. Officers tried to talk him into coming out and used Pepperball, which is similar to pepper spray.When the man ran toward officers, they “deployed Tasers and a K9 in an effort to stop him, and one officer shot the man, who was struck at least twice,” police said in a statement early Sunday.Paramedics took the man to Regions Hospital in St. Paul for treatment and he was in stable condition. He remained hospitalized on Monday, according to Jill Oliveira, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension spokeswoman.Axtell was unavailable for comment Monday.Paul Kuntz, president of the St. Paul police union, said in a statement that the officers “were involved in the arrest of a violent and dangerous felon.”“The officers worked to arrest the man using many de-escalation techniques,” he said. “This was a difficult situation for everyone involved. It is important for the BCA to complete their thorough investigation. Our role as the federation is to ensure integrity of the investigative process.“We are thankful the victims of these crimes were not harmed further during these potentially deadly situations and the general public was kept safe by our officers,” Kuntz’s statement concluded.The BCA is investigating the shooting. It’s been policy in St. Paul since 2016 for the state agency to conduct such investigations.The St. Paul Police Department said in the Sunday statement that the BCA would be the department to release any further information about the incident, including the names of the officer and the man who was shot.“The BCA continues to work through initial interviews with incident participants and witnesses,” Oliveira said in a Monday email. “We will release additional public information once that work is completed.”Axtell previously has released body camera footage of shootings by police soon after they happened. He released video in 2018 and in 2019. No charges were filed against officers in either case.In the past in Minnesota, video footage of shootings by officers was traditionally released after the investigation was concluded. State law specifies that law enforcement agencies can release information to “promote public safety, or dispel widespread rumor or unrest,” which is what Axtell cited in releasing body-camera footage in the previous two cases.The law enforcement source with knowledge of the situation spoke Monday on the condition of anonymity because the person wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter.Police scanner transmissions from Saturday night provide some additional information about why police were searching for the man.When officers responded to the crash, they were told a woman’s ex-boyfriend forced her to drive from Lakeville and was assaulting her, which caused the crash. Officers also were told the 31-year-old man held a steak knife to the woman’s neck, and that he was naked and on drugs.About 10 minutes later, police received a report that a naked man walked into a home and left after taking a bottle of orange juice from the refrigerator. He was last seen on Magnolia Avenue.After police found the man hiding in the dumpster, an officer said over the police radio, “He’s yelling that he’s got a gun.”The man remained in the dumpster and an officer reported he’d closed the dumpster lid. “Still trying to talk him out,” she said.Officers discussed strategy, and a message was dispatched to officers, “If he comes out running, squads do not chase and do not interfere with the (police) dog.”Soon after, police reported the man was running, and an officer radioed, “Shots fired.” In a video, three shots could be heard in rapid succession, following by a short pause and another shot. The video, taken by a woman who was in the area, did not show what happened.The man sustained three gunshot wounds to his legs and one to the abdomen; he also had a dog bite wound to his right leg, a paramedic reported to a dispatcher. Officers had applied tourniquets and paramedics took the man to the hospital.The officers who were involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.Sign up for Newsletters and AlertsFollow UsMost PopularClose

By | | Pioneer PressSt. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell is considering terminating the officer who shot and wounded a man this weekend, a law enforcement source said Monday.Axtell is planning to release body-camera footage from the incident on Tuesday or Wednesday.The officer received written notice that Axtell wanted to meet with him on Tuesday, according to the St. Paul Police Federation. Its leaders haven’t seen the body-camera footage.Police said in a statement several hours after the that the man, who was hiding in a dumpster in the North End neighborhood, climbed out and ran toward...

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Mara H. Gottfried

Twin Cities news, sports, politics, entertainment and business from the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota's first newspaper.

St. Paul police chief considering firing officer who shot man, preparing to release body cam footage

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