A St. Paul police officer was shot in the face with a projectile Friday while authorities performed a welfare check on a reportedly suicidal man at a home in St. Paul's North End.
About 2 p.m. police were called to a house on Lyton Place near the Oakland Cemetery to check on a possibly suicidal man after the man's doctor had contacted police. The police had conducted multiple checks on the 53-year-old man within the past year, Sgt. Paul Paulos, a spokesman for the St. Paul police, said at a news conference.
Two police officers, one an 18-year veteran of the force and the other a new recruit, went to the home. When the man came out with a knife in his hand, the officers were forced to retreat, Paulos said.
The man then went back into the house and fired something that hit the veteran officer in the cheek, Paulos said. Police weren't sure Friday if the man fired a pellet gun or an actual gun. After shooting, the suspect barricaded himself in the house.
Eventually, after negotiating with police, the man surrendered without incident around 4:30 p.m., Paulos said. He's being held at the Ramsey County jail.
The veteran officer was being treated for noncritical injuries at Regions Hospital. The officers' identities weren't immediately available.
"[Today] tells you what kind of job we do every day," Paulos said.
In a tweet, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman said, "[M]y thoughts and prayers are with #SPPD officer as he recovers from injuries suffered this afternoon."
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