St. Joseph shooting: Officer involved in shooting, search warrant execution identified

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. (FOX 9) - Following the shooting of a person in St. Joseph, Minnesota, during the execution of a search warrant, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified the officer involved.

According to the BCA, Stearns County Deputy Tyler Thunstedt, who has eight years of law enforcement experience, fired his department rifle during the incident that occurred on June 21. He currently remains on standard administrative leave.

During the incident, Jason Patrick Cully, 38, of St. Joseph was shot once when members of the Stearns/Benton County SWAT Team served a warrant for his arrest.

According to the initial investigation, St. Joseph police officers responded June 20 to reports of Cully making threats of violence. When they made contact, Cully pointed a gun at them, then ran away. Cully repeatedly called the police department that night and continued to make threats of violence. At which point, the Stearns County Attorney’s Office issued a warrant for his arrest.

The following day around 5 p.m., members of the Stearns/Benton County SWAT Team attempted to serve the warrant at Cully’s home, according to a BCA release. Thunstedt saw Cully run across the yard toward a neighbor’s house, ignoring commands to stop and drop his weapon, then pointed his gun in the deputy’s direction – at which point Thunstedt fired three rounds, one of them striking Cully. BCA crime scene personnel recovered a handgun at the scene.

Cully received medical care on-scene before he was transported to a hospital where he remains in stable condition. No one else was injured.

The BCA is actively investigating thw incident on behalf of the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office, reviewing all available video as part of the process.

Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without a charging recommendation to the Stearns County Attorney’s Office for review.