No charges for officer who shot suspected cop killer

David Longbehn
In this May 5, 2010 photo, St. Paul police officer David Longbehn speaks about the shooting death of Maplewood Police Sergeant Joseph Bergeron during a news conference at the St. Paul Police Department in St. Paul, Minn. Longbehn, who fought with the man authorities say shot and killed Sgt. Bergeron says he feels lucky to be alive. Longbehn fatally shot Jason Jones, the man police say killed Bergeron Saturday.
Ben Garvin/AP

The police officer who fatally shot a man suspected of killing a Maplewood police officer will not face charges.

A Ramsey County grand jury declined to issue an indictment Wednesday against St. Paul Police Officer David Longbehn, who fatally shot Jason Jones on May 1. Jones was suspected of killing Maplewood Police Sgt. Joseph Bergeron.

Longbehn was helping set up a security perimeter on St. Paul's East Side when he shot and killed Jones.

Nearly four hours earlier, Bergeron was fatally shot near Lake Phalen while responding to a carjacking. Officers had begun a manhunt for the two suspects.

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Longbehn noticed Jones run out of the woods carrying a toolbox and tried to question him. Police said Jones then straddled the officer and struck him repeatedly in the face with a metal pipe. Longbehn shot Jones multiple times and killed him.

Jones was later identified as one of the suspects in the carjacking and in Bergeron's killing.

The other suspect, Joshua Martin, was arrested and pled guilty to second-degree intentional murder. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27. In his guilty plea, Martin said that Jones shot Bergeron.

Officer David Longbehn
St. Paul police officer David Longbehn, center, was greeted before leaving a visitation for Sgt. Joe Bergeron at the Maplewood Community Center Wednesday, May 5, 2010. Officer Longbehn was attacked and fatally shot one of two men involved in the killing of Sgt. Bergeron.
MPR Photo/Jeffrey Thompson

The grand jury reviewed the case as part of standard procedure for incidents involving police shootings.