Roseville officers shoot, kill man in domestic call

Police called by woman being choked and shot man when he confronted them with a handgun.

November 18, 2011 at 6:44PM
Building caretaker David Spriggs pointed out a bullet hole in his hallway Thursday night at his apartment building on the 600 block of Larpenter in Roseville, Friday, November 18, 2011.
Building caretaker David Spriggs pointed out a bullet hole in his hallway Thursday night at his apartment building on the 600 block of Larpenter in Roseville, Friday, November 18, 2011. (Dml - Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Two Roseville police officers shot and killed a man Thursday night after he confronted them with a handgun.

Police Chief Rick Mathwig said dispatchers got a call at 8:22 p.m., apparently from a woman who was being choked and could not talk. Officers went to the apartment building in the 600 block of Larpenteur Avenue and walked up to the second-floor landing. When they opened a door into the building's hallway, he said, they were immediately confronted by a man with a handgun.

Both officers opened fire with their guns; both hit the man, killing him, Mathwig said. The building was evacuated after the incident and residents were kept warm on a Metro Transit bus.

Since February 2010, Roseville police have been called six times to the apartment where the woman lived with the man and her son. The calls included one for violation of an order for protection, three for a mentally disturbed person, one for a noise complaint, one for a 911 hang-up and, finally, Thursday night's call.

Mathwig said the woman and her son were at police headquarters Thursday night. The chief said he didn't know if the woman and the suspect were married but they had a "significant relationship."

PAT PHEIFER

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