Chief Axtell: Cop who shot, wounded man 'fell short of standards' on use of force
Updated: 7:55 p.m.
In a press conference Tuesday, St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell said a shooting involving officers on the city's north end last weekend did not measure up to department standards.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a statement later Tuesday that Officer Anthony Dean shot and wounded Joseph Javonte Washington, 31, of Lakeville, who was wanted in connection with an earlier domestic incident. Washington is recovering at Regions Hospital.
Police say Washington emerged from a dumpster behind a Rice St. funeral home naked and with no possessions and ran at officers. In an initial statement Sunday, the department said officers attempted to “talk the man out of the dumpster” before deploying a powdered chemical irritant as well as Tasers and a K9.
Axtell's comments came as he released body camera video of the confrontation.
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“And when I asked myself if the officer's action on Saturday night were reasonable and necessary,” Axtell said, “the only answer I could come up with is no.”
Axtell said he's taking action against at least one of the officers involved, but citing state law said he couldn't describe the action. Multiple news reports, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, said Axtell fired the officer.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter lauded the chief for releasing video of the incident so quickly, and said the city was dedicated to transparency.
Dakota County prosecutors on Tuesday charged Washington with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of kidnapping, and one count of second degree assault in connection with an incident that took place several hours earlier in Lakeville.
The BCA says Dean has been with the St. Paul Police Department for six years. He was one of five officers at the scene.
The agency also says that before the confrontation with police, Washington and his alleged victim were involved in a vehicle crash near Rice St. and Maryland Ave, and Washington broke into a home a short time later.
The St. Paul Police Federation declined to confirm that Dean had been fired. In a statement, president Paul Kuntz said the union’s role is to “ensure integrity of the investigative process.”
“The officers worked to arrest the man using many de-escalation techniques,” Kuntz said. “This was a difficult situation for everyone involved.”