A sheriff's deputy was justified when he shot and wounded a knife-wielding man suspected of domestic abuse in a Crystal home during a three-hour standoff, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Thursday.
The deputy was about an arm's length from a defiant Jamar W. Hollins, 39, last May when Hollins refused to surrender his serrated "Black Ops" tactical knife, endured a Taser hit and balked at being served with a court order for protection sought by a woman he shared a home with in the 3600 block of Colorado Avenue.
Clutching his knife, cornered in the bathroom by several officers as he resisted arrest, Hollins was shot in the abdomen by deputy Allen Magelssen and quickly treated at the scene by paramedics, Freeman's report said.
"Hollins posed a threat to the officers by holding the tactical knife in his hand and for 3 hours refusing requests to drop it," the County Attorney's Office said. "That constituted resisting arrest, especially when he repeatedly said he would not come out peacefully or leave the house. The officers in the house tried negotiating, including bringing in a family member and then using nonlethal weapons."
The deputy's use of deadly force "was objectively reasonable in the face of the danger of death or great bodily harm," Freeman's report said.
"I am relieved that Mr. Hollins survived the shooting," Freeman's statement continued. "However, the thorough investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension revealed that the sheriff's deputies had few options. They were there to serve an order for protection upon Mr. Hollins requested by his girlfriend. … When he repeatedly refused, officers unsuccessfully tried nonlethal force and Deputy Magelssen determined that he and another deputy were in danger of great bodily harm, so the use of deadly force was justified."
Prosecutors decided not to charge Hollins, the County Attorney's Office said.
Hollins' criminal history in Minnesota includes convictions for disorderly conduct, domestic assault and terroristic threats.
