Authorities shot and killed a man late Thursday night in a mobile-home park in St. Anthony after he charged officers responding to what turned out to be a hostage hoax, police officials said.
Investigators were still at the scene of the shooting Friday morning in the Lowry Grove RV Park, 2501 Lowry Av. NE., as neighbors watched from behind the crime-scene tape.
A string of gunfire about 9:30 p.m. drew officers and, later, heavily armed East Metro SWAT team members to the site, as the man shouted from inside that "he was being held at gunpoint by another individual," according to a news release.
After about an hour, the man emerged from the unit and began running toward officers with a rifle in his hands, ignoring repeated orders to drop the weapon, the release said. Several witnesses said they saw the man fire at the officers.
Authorities said it was not clear what prompted the man, whose identity hasn't been released pending notification of his family, to charge the officers.
A search of the trailer revealed that there was no one else was inside, authorities said.
St. Anthony police Friday did not provide information on the investigation, which is now being led by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The three SWAT team members involved in the shooting — officers Kyle Eckert, John Jorgensen Jr. and Joseph Adams, all of the Roseville Police Department — were placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure, a department spokesman said.
The man's body was taken to the county medical examiner's office in Minneapolis and an autopsy is expected to be performed in the next few days.
