The City of St. Peter has released body camera footage of several angles detailing the June 18 incident where Officer Austin Buss was shot, and the suspect, Jordan Donanue, was killed inside a town home.
ST. PETER, Minn. (FOX 9) - The City of St. Peter has released body camera footage of several angles detailing the June 18 incident where Officer Austin Buss was shot, and the suspect, Jordan Donanue, was killed inside a town home.
St. Peter officer-involved shooting
What we know:
The St. Peter Police Department responded at about 8:23 p.m. on June 18 to a report of a vehicle fleeing Mankato. Police say the car involved in a pursuit was found on Bunker Lane in St. Peter, and the suspect entered a residence.
View the body camera footage here.
Body camera footage shows officers arriving at the residence, and a woman opens the door with her hands in the air while a dog runs inside. She tells law enforcement Donahue is inside, upstairs.
Officers go up the stairs and yell at the suspect, "Show me your hands! Get down here right now!" before shots ring out.
Officer Buss was hit, and body camera footage shows blood smattering on the stairs. We later learn Donahue died in the incident. Buss was taken away by ambulance to a hospital before being airlifted to a Twin Cities hospital, where he was released June 26, eight days after the incident.
Images from the body camera footage show a gun pointed in the direction of Officer Buss as he was on the stairs, with two members of law enforcement behind him.
What happened before, during the standoff
The backstory:
According to the BCA's investigation, Mankato police officers had been pursuing a vehicle that had fled to St. Peter and stopped on the 2100 block of Bunker Lane.
Donahue was the driver of the vehicle, and he then exited the vehicle and fled into an acquaintance's home. Officers found a woman and a juvenile girl inside the home, and they were escorted outside.
Sgt. Struckman and Officer Buss then entered the home to search for Donahue, the BCA said. As the two were heading upstairs, Donahue fired a shotgun at the law enforcement officers, striking Officer Buss in the arm and ballistic vest.
Both Sgt. Struckman and Officer Buss returned fire and left the home so Officer Buss could get medical care, authorities said.
Authorities then tried for a long period of time to contact Donahue, but he was eventually found dead inside the home with gunshot wounds.
Procession held to escort Officer Buss home
Why you should care:
The St. Peter Police Department helped organize a procession on June 26 to bring Officer Buss home, after he was released from the hospital. The procession went south on Highway 169 from the hospital and into St. Peter.
Community members who wanted to welcome Buss home gathered along the boulevard on Highway 169, on Minnesota Avenue.
Dig deeper:
Officer Buss is the founder of The Brothers In Law, a nonprofit organization that helps build the relationship between law enforcement and first responds with the public. The organization also provides support to first responders and law enforcement to help heal and recharge.
According to a Facebook post from the organization, Officer Buss underwent multiple surgeries to save his arm after he was shot.
For ways to support Officer Buss and his family, click here.