BCA identifies officers involved in fatal St. Paul shooting
Updated: 5:37 a.m., Aug. 7 | Posted: 7:02 p.m., Aug. 6
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has identified the two officers involved in a fatal St. Paul shooting over the weekend.
The state agency said that 43-year-old William Hughes died of multiple gunshot wounds early Sunday after officers responded to a 911 call of shots fired on the upper floor of a building.
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.
The BCA said its preliminary investigation shows officers Matthew Jones and Vincent Adams entered an enclosed porch and knocked on an interior door. Hughes emerged from another door and officers shot him. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities say a gun was recovered.
Both officers were wearing body cameras, which captured the shooting.
Jones is the son of St. Paul officer Tim Jones, who was killed in a fatal on-duty shooting in 1994.
When the BCA completes its investigation, it will turn over a report to the Ramsey County Attorney for review on whether charges are warranted.
Family members held a protest Monday night near the Minneapolis American Indian Center. Dannah Thompson, who identified herself as Hughes'cousin, said he was a member of the White Earth Nation of Anishinaabe.
"Through our grief and difficulty, we have been left with more questions than answers as to why police officers decided to abruptly and violently take Billy's life," Thompson said.
She also read a list of demands including the release of video and audio of the shooting, transcripts of any 911 calls relating to the incident as well as changes to rules governing the use of force.
A woman who identified herself as Hughes' aunt, Kathy Ficken, called him a good guy who spent a lot of time with his grandmother. She said she wants police to stop "ruining" her family's lives.
"I said, 'not again,' because you know, my other newphew, Phil Quinn, they killed him too," she said.
She's referring to the St. Paul police shooting in 2015 of Philip Quinn, who was holding a screwdriver. The officers in that case were not criminally charged. A grand jury found an officer was justified in killing Quinn. Family members had called 911 for help because they said Quinn was in a mental health crisis.