A suicidal man shot by Medina police last week after he attacked an officer with a machete was charged Tuesday with attempted murder.
Donald Kalib John Nichols, 23, of Medina, was wearing body armor and a helmet when his parents called an ambulance because he was suicidal, the criminal complaint said. He also had talked about "suicide by cop," the complaint said.
Nichols went to a nearby wooded area in Hamel, where he was spotted by officers standing in thick brush. He was holding a machete pointed at an upward angle toward two of the officers, the complaint said. He was told to drop it, but refused.
As he raised the machete over his head, a deputy shot him with a Taser, the complaint said. He swore at the deputy and rushed at him with the machete held high. He swung it at the deputy, who blocked it with a baton.
Nichols' machete hit the baton and the deputy's upper body. He continued to try to stab the deputy until shot by Medina Sgt. Jason Nelson.
Nelson, who has been with the Medina Police Department for 14 years, was placed on paid administrative leave, standard policy in such cases.
Nichols is charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault. He was initially hospitalized, but now is in the Hennepin County jail. His bail has been set at $150,000.
DAVID CHANEN
