Officer in fatal St. Paul shooting identified

St. Paul police shooting
Investigators from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were on the scene of a shooting involving St. Paul police on Sunday in the city's Midway neighborhood.
Tim Nelson | MPR News

A man who was fatally shot by a St. Paul police officer Sunday evening confronted the officer with a knife and ignored commands to drop it, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The BCA on Tuesday identified the officer as Steven Mattson, who has less than one year of service in the department.

The shooting occurred after police say Ronald Kerry Davis, 31, rear-ended the vehicle Mattson was driving in the Midway neighborhood of St. Paul.

The confrontation occurred at the intersection of Thomas Avenue and Griggs Street. The BCA said both men got out of their vehicles. Mattson could be heard on emergency dispatch audio yelling for someone to “drop the knife,” followed shortly by radio calls of “shots fired.” BCA investigators said they recovered a knife at the scene.

The shooting was recorded by Mattson’s body camera. Some activists have called on the agencies to release the video.

The BCA will present the findings of their investigation to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office when it’s completed.

Mattson is on standard paid leave.

Soon after the shooting, Mayor Melvin Carter said the entire community was in mourning, and offered his prayers to both the officer involved and the family of the man who was killed.

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