County attorney: St. Paul police justified in fatal shooting of Little Canada man in September
Updated: 5:20 p.m.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office says a St. Paul police officer who shot and killed a man last fall was justified in his use of force.
The county attorney’s office said on Thursday that the killing of Ronald Davis, 31, by officer Steven Mattson in September does not warrant criminal charges.
The incident happened on the evening of Sept. 15 when Mattson was stopped in his marked police SUV at an intersection in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood. A car rear-ended Mattson’s squad, then the officer spotted a man getting out of the sedan. After Mattson stepped out of his SUV, he saw Davis running toward him with what appeared to be a knife in his hand.
According to police body camera video, which was released the following week, Mattson backed away and fell down while yelling for Davis to get away and put down the knife.
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A memorandum from the county attorney’s office said after he got up, Mattson tried to move away from Davis, who also had Mattson’s flashlight in his hand, while at the same time continuing to tell Davis to drop the knife. The office shot him twice, with the camera rolling. Davis was declared dead at the scene. Mattson wasn’t injured.
An autopsy found Davis had used marijuana and methamphetamine shortly before he died. His wife also told investigators Davis said the day before she would be a widow.
In a statement sent to the department, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said the incident shows how suddenly situations between officers and the public may turn dangerous.
“Like you, I’m incredibly thankful the officer didn’t suffer a serious physical injury, and I hope this decision can help him and his loved ones continue to move forward with their lives, knowing that there was nothing he could have done differently.
“I also want to extend my condolences to the family of the person whose life was lost. This is a tragedy, regardless of the circumstances. My hope is that we can take steps—together—to prevent any other officer from being put in a similar situation,” Axtell said.