St. Paul police to release bodycam video of fatal police shooting
The St. Paul Police Department plans to release video evidence from last weekend’s fatal police shooting of Ronald Davis, 31, of Little Canada.
Around 6 p.m. on Sunday, a police officer was stopped at the intersection of Thomas Avenue and Griggs Street when he was struck from behind by another car. The officer, identified as Steven Mattson, was confronted by Davis, the driver of the car. Police say Davis confronted Mattson with a knife and ignored demands to drop it.
At one point during the encounter, Mattson fatally shot Davis.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said that Mattson has been a member of the police force for less than a year. He is on standard administrative leave.
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Police Chief Todd Axtell said the video will be released to the public on Tuesday, after the pertinent parts of the investigation are complete and the Davis family has had an opportunity to view the body camera video.
Typically, authorities release evidence of police shootings once the investigation is complete and after a review from the county attorney’s office. Police departments across Minnesota, as well as the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, have faced criticism in recent years for not making video footage public soon after fatal police shootings.
But last year, under community pressure, Minneapolis police released body camera video of the 2018 shooting death of Thurman Blevins about a month after the incident. The next day, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced there would be no charges against the officers.