'I almost shot an unarmed Black man': Duluth police officer's post goes viral

DULUTH – A Duluth police sergeant's viral account of nearly shooting an unarmed Black man has drawn praise, condemnation and an apology from the police chief.

On the Duluth Police Local 807 Facebook page last week, Sgt. Matt McShane recounted what was going through his head as he and other officers responded to shots fired between two vehicles and a chase for a suspect who may still have been armed.

"I level my pistol at him. I put my finger on the trigger. Is this it? Is he going to shoot us? Am I going to have to shoot this man to save myself and others? Will my wife wake up a widow, will my children no longer have their father? Is our community going to change forever because of me? Will everything burn only because we want to help? Because we want to live and not die?"

McShane's defense of his profession and "take a day in our shoes" monologue has put Duluth in the middle of a worldwide reckoning over police accountability following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. His post, in which he stated "I almost shot an 'unarmed Black man' last night," had been shared about 150,000 times as of Monday and has garnered over 13,000 comments — many of them in support of the department.

Police Chief Mike Tusken shared the union's post, credited only to "a Duluth police sergeant," but later took it down and replaced it with an apology: "It was not my intention to cause further hurt and traumatize community members and I am deeply sorry my actions were insensitive and hurtful."

Tusken sympathized with his sergeant's message, however.

"Officers are experiencing disrespect and anger from community members who are frustrated at the institution of policing," he wrote. "I have witnessed more tears from officers this year than from all my years past."

Police union officials did not respond to requests for comment Monday. A Duluth police spokesperson said McShane and Tusken were not available for interviews Monday, adding: "This is too important of a topic to provide comment when we're not ready." McShane's post went up on Thursday.

Longtime Duluth community organizer Jordon Moses said the Duluth Police Department has a "culture of not wanting to dive deep on these issues."

"When communities and citizens push, institutions push back," said Moses, who is Black. "We're supposed to be grateful the cop didn't pull the trigger. That's kind of your job. You have tools, you have training."

The post first gained traction as unrest continued in Kenosha, Wis., over the police shooting of Jacob Blake and was again being shared in the aftermath of a police officer being shot to death in St. Louis this weekend.

Mylan Masson, a retired Minneapolis police officer and expert on use of force, said McShane's message is "right on."

"We have to keep remembering police are human beings. They are going to make mistakes. They don't want to make mistakes," she said. " 'What if I did shoot him?' That's a terrible thought."

A news release that followed McShane's post offered few details on the close-call nature of the response.

"Two suspects exited the vehicle and did not respond to officers' commands," the release said. "A 32-year-old male fled on foot, who was later arrested. A 30-year-old male was arrested after resisting officers." There were no injuries reported.

McShane had written in his post: "All of this while you slept comfortably in your homes, safe from the wolves who roam our streets."

Moses, who now lives in St. Paul, said that kind of language is endemic to "this kind of culture that an officer can think this way, feel this way then not be challenged by members of his own institution on why that ideology might be problematic."

Calls for defunding the police have come to Duluth, which is 90% white, though with less momentum seen in cities like Minneapolis and Seattle.

On Monday a resident e-mailed the Duluth City Council demanding leaders "fundamentally rethink the entire system."

"There is no way to 'train' the racism out of the police system as it currently exists," said Heather Lake. "We need to start over, intentionally and intelligently, to build a new support network that provides protection and help to every citizen."

Masson said that police are being asked to take on more social issues and mental health crises "and they say, how many people can I help today, not how many people can I shoot today?"

"Both sides need to be listened to," she said. "You need to hear both sides."

Brooks Johnson • 218-491-6496