BCA names 5 officers involved in Bloomington use-of-force shooting

Bloomington police exchange gunfire with wrong-way driver

Bloomington police exchanged gunfire with a wrong-way driver, and the BCA is investigating. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has more.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has released the names of five Bloomington police officers who exchanged gunfire with a wrong-way driver earlier this month.

Gunfire exchanged with wrong-way driver

The backstory:

According to authorities, Bloomington police officers spotted a wrong-way driver near Old Shakopee Road and Killebrew Drive around 10:30 p.m. on Dec. 3. Police attempted to stop the driver, identified as 21-year-old Joshua Rocha. He refused to pull over, leading officers to use a PIT maneuver to disable the vehicle.  

Authorities say Rocha did not comply with orders to exit the vehicle, prompting officers to deploy PepperBall rounds. The BCA reports that gunshots were fired from inside Rocha's vehicle toward the officers, striking a squad car. Five officers returned fire.

An armored vehicle was used to approach Rocha and take him into custody. Rocha suffered injuries to both of his hands and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

The BCA said a rifle, handgun and ammunition were recovered from Rocha’s vehicle. He now faces three counts each of attempted second-degree murder and first-degree assault.

What's next:

His first court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 12. 

Bloomington police officers identified

Dig deeper:

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges previously stated that none of the 11 officers at the scene were injured.

The BCA identified the five officers who discharged their firearms:

• Sgt. Jeremy Pilcher – 24 years of law enforcement experience
• Officer David Rodriguez – eight years of experience
• Officer Carson Sanchez – five years of experience
• Officer Taylor Huss – nine years of experience
• Officer John Bunnell – eight years of experience

All five officers have been placed on standard critical incident leave.

Investigators have collected squad car and body camera footage from the scene. The BCA will continue to investigate the use-of-force incident and present its findings to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for review.