Burnsville cops kill person with weapon in McDonald's parking lot
Updated: 2:55 p.m. | Posted: 9:26 a.m.
Burnsville police shot a person early Thursday morning in the parking lot of a McDonald's restaurant. The department says the person is dead and officers were unharmed.
Five officers responded at about 6:15 a.m. to a report of suspicious activity in the McDonald's lot at the corner of Highway 13 and Washburn Avenue in Burnsville.
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They "discovered a single individual brandishing a weapon. The encounter resulted in an officer-involved shooting of the suspect," Burnsville police said in a statement.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will investigate the incident.
Burnsville police do wear body cameras and the officers involved in the morning confrontation were wearing them, Burnsville police Chief Eric Gieseke told reporters.
Authorities did not detail the circumstances leading up to the confrontation.
Gieseke declined to provide details on the suspect or weapon, deferring questions to the BCA.
He did say this was the first officer-involved shooting resulting in a death in Burnsville since 1981.
"We believe this to be an isolated incident with no ongoing public safety concerns," he said.
While the chief said officers were wearing body cameras at the time of the shooting, it isn't clear if the cameras were on. The BCA says that will be part of their investigation.
Burnsville Police have been using body cameras since 2010.
Department policy says they should be activated in all situations involving actual or potential criminal conduct and any call where a body camera may aid in apprehending or prosecuting a suspect, including offenses involving violence or weapons.
At the end of a shift, cameras are expected to be placed into a docking station where the data is uploaded.
In incidents such as an officer-involved shooting, the policy requires a supervisor respond to the scene and ensure the body camera is properly uploaded.
The policy says if an officer's camera is not working, the officer should be able to explain why their camera was not activated.