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BCA: Man killed in officer-involved shooting in St. James

The BCA says a man was killed in an officer-involved shooting in St. James.
Credit: Luka Lajst, Thinkstock
Crime tape, stock image.

ST. JAMES, Minn. - The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating an officer-involved shooting that happened Wednesday afternoon in St. James.

The BCA says one man died and a police officer suffered a non-life threatening injury.

According to the BCA, deputies from the Nicollet County Sheriff’s Department spotted a vehicle in LaFayette that had been reported as stolen, which prompted a pursuit involving deputies from Nicollet, Blue Earth and Brown Counties. Once the driver was identified, the pursuit was called off for safety reasons.

The vehicle was seen in St. James a half hour later and officers followed the vehicle until it collided with a snowbank, the BCA says. The subject fled on foot into a business on the 600 block of 2nd Avenue South and hid alone in an office.

Authorities from the St. James Police Department, the Watonwan County Sheriff’s Department and the Minnesota State Patrol entered the business and fired multiple taser rounds, according to the BCA. The BCA says one officer discharged a firearm, striking the suspect.

The suspect was brought to the Mayo Clinic Health System hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner will perform an autopsy and make a formal identification.

One officer was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where they were treated and released.

The BCA is gathering evidence from the scene, and has begun interviewing witnesses and those parties involved. Among the evidence collected was a knife.

None of the officers were wearing body cameras and there is no dash camera footage of the shooting incident, according to the BCA. The officer who fired the weapon is on standard administrative leave.

Additional information will be released once family notifications have been made and initial interviews have been conducted.

The BCA is conducting the investigation at the request of the St. James Police Department. Once the investigation is complete, the findings will be given to the Watonwon County Attorney’s Office for review.

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