Minneapolis chief praises 'extreme restraint' in arrest of man charged in attack of ex-Gophers star

A former Minnesota Gophers football star was called a racial slur during a daylight attack by a white man who fired a gun in a south Minneapolis alley, the confrontation ending only after police persuaded the suspect to drop his weapons and he was arrested, according to charges.

Eric M. Jagers, 54, was charged Monday in Hennepin County District Court with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and threats of violence with reckless disregard in connection with the event that occurred late Friday afternoon in the 4000 block of 17th Avenue S.

The victim, 44-year-old Tellis Redmon, a running back for the University of Minnesota football team from 1999 to 2001, is a special education paraprofessional and an assistant football coach for Cooper High School. He escaped without injury despite the gun being fired next to his head as the two fought for the weapon, police said.

Jagers was arrested that evening and remains jailed in lieu of $100,000 bail. He appeared in court Tuesday afternoon and has another hearing set for May 18.

Police Chief Brian O'Hara released a statement Wednesday praising his officers for making the arrest "in a peaceful and professional manner."

The chief said that despite Jagers walking toward the officers while armed, they "exercised extreme restraint and took this individual safely into custody. ... It is but one example of the countless times our cops face dangerous suspects and rise to the occasion, putting their lives on the line to ensure community safety. This person had placed himself, his neighbors, and our officers in immediate danger, and he must now face the consequences of his actions."

At one point during the assault, Jagers told Redmon he was a firefighter and would avoid getting in trouble because he knows police, the charges read. Jagers retired in February from the Minneapolis Fire Department after 24 years, according to city records.

Jagers called Redmon a racial epithet during the altercation, according to Redmon and another witness, the complaint said.

In an interview Tuesday, defense attorney Peter Wold said his client "is dealing with mental health issues that he's going to address" once he posts bail and is released.

"He was proud to serve as a Minneapolis firefighter for 24 years," Wold said. "He regrets that if his actions reflect badly on them."

Charges say that when questioned by police after his arrest, Jagers said his anger "went sideways" when he saw Redmon drive over a board near his garage and demanded that the board be picked up.

Barely 30 minutes before the incident behind his home, Jagers stood outside a Minneapolis fire station on the North Side and fired a handgun, according to a police report. He explained later to police that he went there to lift weights with his former fellow firefighters [and] fired a shot "because he thought it would be funny to do so," the criminal complaint read. The County Attorney's Office said it is has yet to charge Jager for that gunfire.

Fire Chief Bryan Tyner told the Star Tribune that Jagers drove up to fire station, told firefighters there he had a gun, "grabbed it from his pickup truck, fired it in the air and took off." A public works employee nearby first alerted police to the gunfire, Tyner said.

Tyner said Jagers worked at that station for many years and retired from the department with a clean disciplinary record.

The criminal complaint gave this account of the shooting involving Redmon:

Bystanders pointed out Jagers to arriving officers, who drew their guns and ordered him to the ground. But Jagers, with a shotgun in one hand and a pistol on his hip, "said he was not getting on the ground" and walked closer to the officers.

Jagers, who does not have a state-issued permit to carry a handgun in public, soon dropped the shotgun and "drew the firearm from his holster and dropped it on the ground. Police continued to issue commands to [Jagers], and he continued to refuse."

Officers deployed one or more Tasers, and Jagers ran but was quickly tackled and arrested.

Among those who witnessed some of what occurred was Tracie Olson, who shares a 5-year-old son with Redmon and has lived in same the block as Jagers for 20 years.

Olson said she was playing outside with her son and saw Jagers, her neighbor of about 20 years, speeding down the street in his pickup truck before pulling into his alley driveway. She soon heard "things hitting the ground coming from his area, and then I hear a gunshot [and] another gunshot maybe five or more minutes later."

Olson said she scooped up her son, fled into a neighbor's home and was soon joined by Redmon.

"He was disheveled, eyes wide open and reeking of gasoline," Olson recalled. "He embraced me and our son, crying, 'Tracie, that man tried to kill me. That man tried to kill me.' "

Redmon told police that Jagers said to "say good-bye to your 5-year-old," according to the charges. Olson said she and Redmon, who lives elsewhere in Minneapolis, "don't know anything bad about Eric. We don't have a history or anything."

Olson said that Jagers’ “hate and anger came out during this violent and aggressive racist words as he was trying to engage or attack or kill Tellis. … Terroristic threats and a hate crime are a very serious part of this.”