Off-duty officer shoots at suspected shoplifter at St. Paul Walmart

An off-duty St. Paul police officer working at the Walmart on University Avenue fired his weapon in the parking lot after confronting a suspected shoplifter.

St. Paul police said the officer approached a 34-year-old Wisconsin man at the entryway of the store shortly before 3 p.m. on Sunday. Police said the man pointed a weapon at the officer then fled into the parking lot.

The suspect got into a truck and again pointed a weapon at the pursuing officer, who fired a gun at the suspect, police said. The suspect fled onto University Avenue and crashed on the 1600 block of Edmund Avenue West, where he was arrested after trying to flee on foot.

Neither the officer nor the suspect was injured.

St. Paul police are investigating the incident. The officer involved has not been publicly identified. The five-year veteran of the department is on standard three-day administrative leave.

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