The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Wednesday identified those involved in a fatal police shooting in West St. Paul last week.
The man killed was Jerry Va Thao, 42, of St. Paul. Investigators identified Apple Valley Sgt. Sean Marben as the officer who fired his weapon striking Thao at the culmination of an hourslong standoff at a West St. Paul home on Friday.
Marben is a member of the multijurisdictional South Metro SWAT team. He has eight years of law enforcement experience and has been placed on leave, a standard procedure as the investigation by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) continues.
Police surrounded a home on the 1200 block of Ottawa Avenue around 11 a.m. Friday in an attempt to arrest Thao, who was wanted on multiple felony warrants and suspected of violating an order of protection, according to the BCA.
After others in the house evacuated and confirmed Thao’s presence, a standoff ensued that lasted almost until 7 p.m.
During that time, Thao reportedly fired a gun from inside the home and hit a ballistic shield and SWAT vehicle. Law enforcement attempted to communicate with him and deployed chemical irritants.
Later, Marben was positioned on top of a SWAT vehicle and fired at Thao after seeing him armed “at the bottom of the basement stairs,” according to the BCA.
On Friday, West St. Paul police said Marben fired after seeing Thao take aim with a long gun.
