Body camera video released of Minneapolis City Hall shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has released the body camera footage from five of the Minneapolis police officers involved in a shooting at City Hall last year. 

On Dec. 18, police arrested Marcus Fischer, then 18, for a robbery and shooting that took place in the city earlier in the month and brought him to City Hall for questioning. When detectives left him alone in the interview room, Fischer started stabbing himself in the neck and chest with a four-inch folding knife he pulled from his waistband. 

When one of the detectives returned to the room, he found Fischer harming himself and there was blood everywhere in the room, the charges say. The detective yelled for him to drop his knife, but Fischer refused. Squad cars and an ambulance were called to assist. 

Members of the police department tried to de-escalate the situation. The body camera footage shows them talking to Fischer through the door of the interview room, telling him to stop, put the knife down and back away from the door. 

Detectives repeatedly told Fischer, “Marcus c’mon, it’s not that bad” and "we don’t want you to hurt yourself.” 

According to the charges, no one at police headquarters had an electronic stun gun with them at the time. One of the responding officers arrived at City Hall with his partner and went back to his squad car. 

Officers eventually opened the door. The officer deployed the stun gun, but missed full contact with the defendant. Fischer raised the knife in his right hand and approached the officers, two of whom had their weapons drawn should he attack them. 

The officers repeatedly asked Fischer to drop the weapon. When he refused, they shot him. 
Fischer was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center with two gunshot wounds, multiple stab wounds to his neck and chest area and a cut across his throat. 

Fischer has since been sentenced to more than six years in prison after pleading guilty to both the assault at City Hall and the Dec. 13 robbery and shooting.