Crookston use-of-force incident: Officer who fatally shot man carrying hatchet identified
File photo of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. (FOX 9)
CROOKSTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has released new details, including the identities of the authorities involved and the man who was killed in the use-of-force incident in Crookston, Minn. May 16.
According to the BCA, 35-year-old Andrew Scott Dale died of multiple gunshot wounds after he was shot during an altercation with law enforcement.
The authorities involved in the incident were identified as the following:
- Crookston Police Officer Nick Fladland fired his department gun, and has five years of law enforcement. He is currently on critical incident leave.
- Crookston Police Officer Alex Rudnik fired his Taser during the incident, and has 10 years of law enforcement experience.
- Polk County Sheriff's Deputy Matt Benge fired 40 mm foam less-lethal rounds, and has five years of law enforcement experience.
The BCA says just before 1 a.m., Dale was walking in the road with a hatchet when they found him. The officers then made contact with Dale, and he ran toward the officers with the hatcher still in hand.
Officers Rudnik and Benge used less-lethal rounds on Dale, but the BCA says they were ineffective. Officer Fladland then fired his gun at Dale, hitting him multiple times.
Despite life-saving efforts by the officers, Dale died later at the hospital, according to the BCA.
The BCA said its investigators recovered a hatchet and cartridge casings at the scene, adding that body camera footage from the incident will be reviewed as part of its investigation.
The BCA states that when it completes the investigation, its findings will be presented to the Polk County Attorney's Office for review.