COON RAPIDS, Minn. — Two law enforcement officers were justified in firing their weapons in an incident that left a man dead in Coon Rapids in April.
That's the finding by Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom, who was called in to review the fatal shooting of 41-year-old John Duane Fairbanks early the morning of April 18. Backstrom reviewed the facts and determined that Anoka County Deputy Sheriff Christopher Vitek and Coon Rapids Police Officer Alex Hattstrom were legally justified when they used deadly force.
The incident began when officers pulled over a vehicle at Foley Boulevard and 98th Lane Northwest for a traffic violation just after 1:30 a.m. As police spoke with the driver, Fairbanks, who was riding in the passenger seat, got out of the vehicle and got in a physical confrontation with an officer. He eventually fled on foot and officers pursuing him said Fairbanks pulled a gun and began firing at them.
A perimeter was set up and officers from a number of departments began searching for Fairbanks. When a K-9 team located the suspect, officers determined that Fairbanks posed a deadly threat to them, and they opened fire.
"As the tracking team went around a corner of the residence they observed Fairbanks on the ground and the K9 pulling on Fairbanks’ leg," Backstrom's report reads. "Members of the tracking team observed Fairbanks pick up a firearm with his right hand and hold it behind his back. Members of the tracking team repeatedly shouted for Fairbanks to drop the firearm and show them his hands. When Fairbanks did not respond to the commands to drop the gun and show his hands, Anoka County Deputy Vitek discharged his duty firearm three times in the direction of Fairbanks. Fairbanks fell to his side and onto his stomach."
Fairbanks was declared dead on the scene.
"Although I have concluded that the use of deadly force by the law enforcement officers was legally justified in this instance, any loss of life is a tragic occurrence, and I wish to express my sympathy to the family and friends of John Duane Fairbanks, whose life was lost in this incident," Backstrom commented. He also expressed his concern for the officers who fired the deadly shots. "Even when a legal justification exists for the use of deadly force, the taking of a life is not something any law enforcement officer wishes to do and the emotional impact upon the officers involved in such a tragic occurrence can be significant.”
