Case closed on Minn. Guardsman shot by police

(AP) Two Alexandria police officers have been cleared in the shooting death of an Iraq war veteran during a standoff last month on Interstate 94.

Authorities released a videotape on Thursday that showed Brian Skold, 28, walking toward officers and brandishing a shotgun. Earlier, Skold had fired a round of birdshot in the air and threatened that the next round would be "lead." The tape, made from a squad car, shows Skold chambering a round, dropping into a crouch and pointing his gun toward officers.

The tape was cut there, an instant before Skold was shot by officers, Douglas County attorney Christopher Karpan said.

"The officers in this case did exactly what they were trained to do. This shooting was a tragedy, but I believe it was legally and morally justified. From the standpoint of my office, this case is closed," Karpan said.

Skold, a specialist in the Minnesota National Guard, served about a year in Iraq. His family has said he was depressed but that they don't believe his behavior was related to his service in Iraq.

Family members were offered a chance to view the tape but declined, Karpan said. They asked that the shooting itself not be shown to media, he said.

Calls to Skold's parents and to his sister's homes weren't immediately returned.

At the time he was shot, Skold's blood-alcohol level was 0.181, more than twice the legal limit for drunkenness, authorities said. An open bottle of wine was in his truck.

Skold had five rounds in the shotgun, another 10 on or near him and 10 more in the truck. Karpan described him as "angry, extremely agitated and threatening," and said the shooting would've been justified even if Skold hadn't had a live round in the chamber.

Karpan said the tape was cut before the shooting in deference to the family. Though he said he didn't want to speculate on Skold's mental state, he said, there were "a lot of indications that a lot of difficulty was going through Mr. Skold's life at this time. He had a lot of struggles going on, things were not going well."

Karpan was asked whether police handled the situation with extra care because Skold was a veteran. A SWAT team negotiator, Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Dave Ahlquist, spoke with Skold by cell phone in the moments before the shooting.

"There was a small amount of talk from Sgt. Ahlquist thanking Mr. Skold for his military service, because we were aware of it at the time, but it didn't seem to make any difference," Karpan said.

Sgt. Chad Schroeder, a 10-year veteran, and Officer Tony Kuhnau, a five-year veteran, were both back on the job after being placed on administrative leave following the shooting.