Written by
The Associated Press
BABBITT, Minn. - A prosecutor has cleared a Babbitt police officer who shot and wounded a man who held a knife to a toddler's throat last month.
St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin said Wednesday that Officer Jonathan Shenett was justified in using force against the 27-year-old man.
It happened Jan. 24 in Babbitt. Shenett first tried to stop the man by discharging his Taser. That caused the suspect to loosen his grip on the 3-year-old girl, but it didn't disable him.
According to the report, the suspect advanced on Shenett brandishing the knife.
Shenett told investigators he believed the man intended to slice the girl's throat. The officer then shot the suspect once, causing him to fall to the ground.
The Duluth News Tribune reports the suspect survived and was hospitalized.
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