ROSEVILLE, Minn. — We're learning more about the man who Roseville Police say shot up a neighborhood on Tuesday night.
An officer was hit with a bullet and is still in the hospital.
Court documents show the suspect, who the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified as 53-year-old Jesse Henri Werling of Roseville, had a long history of threatening behavior.
"I have no clue why he would do it, honestly," said Kyle McDonald, who lives next to Werling. "There had to have been some deeper mental issue going on there."
For an hour, police say the suspect opened fire in a neighborhood off Lake Owasso. He fired at homes, cars, even hitting an officer in the face, who fellow officers dragged safely from the scene.
The chief said Wednesday the police officer, who was identified by the BCA on Thursday as Ryan Duxbury, is in stable condition. The BCA also released the names of the officers who fired their guns during the shooting, Roseville police officer Boua Chang and Roseville police officer Bryan Anderson. Chang has been with the department for 11 years and Anderson has been with Roseville PD for 16 years.
The chief also said Werling was at the center of 15 recent mental health calls.
New court documents show he was committed to St. Joseph's Hospital in 2018 and 2019 for treatment. The petitioner also requested the court find the suspect mentally ill.
A former neighbor also filed a restraining order in 2020, saying he harassed her family and that she couldn't predict his next violent outburst.
She wrote in the document that she didn't feel safe in her home, saying the suspect was filled with rage and erratic. She said the police advised her to not let her children play outside because the suspect is dangerous.
University of Minnesota Medical School Psychiatrist Dr. Quentin Gabor says people should know that mental health challenges don't always equate violence. Rather, he says, life circumstances can create a higher risk.
"Just as anyone who is living in a community under resourced, where there's poverty, where there's violent crime and there's long histories of mistreatment of people," said Dr. Gabor.
He also says he's more hopeful that a recent greater awareness and investment in mental health resources can help anyone who might be struggling.
"If people are able to get support and help, very often they were able to avoid tragic outcomes, but that's easier said than done," said Dr. Gabor.
A GoFundMe has been created to support Officer Duxbury and his girlfriend.
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