Man injured after Crystal police shot at him in Bassett Creek Park
A man was shot by Crystal police officers Wednesday morning in Bassett Creek Park after he refused to show his hands and was believed to be armed.
Police were called out to the park just before 9 a.m. Someone in a nearby apartment reported seeing a man with a gun near the frisbee course in the park.
Police said when officers arrived they found the man and repeatedly told him to drop the weapon.
Diane Meyer, who lives about 100 feet away from where police found and confronted the man, said she heard officers tell the man to put his hands where they could see them. Then she heard shots.
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"I heard a couple that got my attention, then I heard some yelling," she said. "And then there was more shots. I thought I heard eight to 10."
Meyer has lived in the area since 1985.
"The only time I've heard pops like that before is in the summer when kids do firecrackers sometimes in the park," she said.
The department said the officers, believing they were in danger, shot at the man, then provided first aid. He was taken to the hospital.
Police said a handgun was recovered at the scene.
The Crystal police chief told reporters the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.