Man fatally shot by St. Paul police officers
Updated: Aug. 6, 7:09 a.m. | Posted: Aug. 5, 6:55 a.m.
A man was fatally shot by St. Paul police officers early Sunday, after officers responded to a report of someone shooting a gun at a residence in the city's Summit-University neighborhood.
The name and the age of the man who died has not been released. No officers were injured.
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At a news conference, St. Paul police said both officers were wearing body cameras that were activated at the time of the shooting. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has opened an investigation of the incident, and BCA officials were at the scene on Sunday morning.
"No officer ever wants to be involved in a situation like this. It's something that changes them forever, and obviously impacts the families involved in this and our heart goes out to them. It's a tragic situation," St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster said at the news conference.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter issued a statement Sunday morning calling the shooting "a tragedy for our entire city."
"As we await further details, my heart goes out to the family of the deceased, to our St. Paul officers, and to every member of our community as we all grieve and process this loss. I am working closely with Chief (Todd) Axtell and the BCA to ensure a thorough, transparent and timely investigation, including the release of the body cam footage as soon as possible."
It's the first fatal police shooting in St. Paul this year, after two each in 2017 and 2016, and three in 2015.
St. Paul police said officers were called at about 2:30 a.m. to a multi-unit dwelling on the 900 block of St. Anthony Avenue.
"A male 911 caller reported that someone had fired multiple shots inside a residence on the second floor. The 911 caller then hung up without providing additional information," St. Paul police said in a news release. "Upon arriving at the scene, officers encountered a man with a gun. At some point, two officers discharged their service weapons, striking the man. St. Paul Fire medics were immediately called to the scene, and the man was pronounced dead."
The man who was shot had a handgun, police said.
All officers involved in the incident will be placed on standard administrative leave, the police department said. The body camera footage has been turned over to BCA investigators.
Ernster said there were nine calls for service in the past year to the building where the shooting occurred; he described them as "run of the mill" calls.
This weekend's incident follows fatal police shootings in Minneapolis in June, and in Carver County last month.