Police ID man shot by officers after White Bear Avenue standoff
The St. Paul Police Department has identified the man police shot and killed during a standoff Monday afternoon.
Police were called to 411 White Bear Ave. around 3:20 p.m. because someone saw Justin Todd Tolkinen, 28, carrying what appeared to be a rifle. He was also said to be wearing a bulletproof vest.
St. Paul police Sgt. Paul Paulos said that, while Tolkinen had a gun, it is not yet clear if he shot at police.
Paulos said officers first tried non-lethal means to end the standoff, but that didn't work.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
"It was followed up by lethal force, which was the shots fired by the officer and he died on the scene," he said Monday. "We called St. Paul fire medics immediately, to see if we could save the person. We could not."
The police department also identified Tuesday the officers involved in the incident: Mark Farrington, Brian Hall, Patrick Murphy and Jermaine Davis. All four are on standard, three-day paid leave. They have served between five and 19 years with St. Paul police.
Neighbors say Tolkinen and a woman had just moved into the home a week and a half before. The house had been vacant for about a year before that.
It was the second police involved shooting death in St. Paul this year. In January, police used deadly force when they say Marcus Golden drove his vehicle at them. An MPR News analysis found that St. Paul police have fatally shot more suspects than any other Minnesota department over the last six years.
No officers were injured in Monday's standoff.