Officials have identified the two deputies from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office who shot and killed a Duluth man last week.
On Sunday, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said St. Louis County Sgt. Joshua Berndt and St. Louis County Deputy Matthew Sobczak fired their weapons, killing Donald Felver III, 30, of Duluth. The deputies, who each have more than 15 years of law enforcement experience, were placed on a standard “critical incident” leave, a news release said.
The BCA’s preliminary investigation found that Felver fired first from his SUV before deputies shot back, killing him.
On Feb. 10, Felver had been driving erratically on Grand Avenue just before 9:45 p.m. when deputies used a PIT maneuver, or precision immobilization technique, to stop him, the BCA said. They walked to Felver’s vehicle and issued verbal commands when Felver fired shots from the SUV in the direction of the deputies, the BCA said. Berndt and Sobczak returned fire.
St. Louis County Sheriff Gordon Ramsay said last week Felver had been involved in another shooting in the Piedmont neighborhood of Duluth earlier in the day. Officials said they believed Felver shot and killed Darius Handy in that incident.
The BCA recovered casings and a handgun from Felver’s vehicle. The deputies were wearing body cameras. The BCA is investigating and will present its findings to the St. Louis County Attorney’s Office for review.
