Deadly officer-involved shooting in St. James under investigation
ST. JAMES, Minn. (KMSP) - A police pursuit ended in a fatal officer-involved shooting in Watonwan County, Minn. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the case.
Late Wednesday morning, Nicollet County sheriff's deputies started following a vehicle in LaFayette because the vehicle had been reported stolen out of New Ulm. Multiple law enforcement agencies participated in the pursuit until it was called off for safety reasons. Police later identified the male driver.
The vehicle was spotted about thirty minutes later in St. James. Officers started following the car until it got stuck in a snow bank. The man then ran into a business on the 600 block of 2nd Avenue South and hid alone inside an office.
Law enforcement officers from the St. James Police Department, the Watonwan County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota State Patrol followed him into the building. At one point, several officers discharged multiple Taser rounds and then an officer shot the suspect. Crews took the suspect to Mayo Clinic Health System hospital, where the suspect was pronounced dead.
The Ramsey County Medical Examiner will complete an autopsy and formally identify the man.
One officer received treatment for a non-life threatening injury.
None of the officers involved were wearing body cameras and the dash camera footage did not capture the shooting. The officer who fired the gun is on standard administrative leave.
Investigators found a knife at the scene.
The case is still under investigation. The BCA will release the names of the officers and the suspect at a later time.
When the BCA completes its investigation, it will turn over its report to the Watonwon County Attorney's Office.