Suspect in gunfire exchange with St. Paul officer is shot by police and killed in St. Cloud

Several officers fired after police say suspect got out of vehicle with a firearm.

September 30, 2020 at 2:38AM
St. Paul Police spokesman Steve Linders
St. Paul police spokesman Steve Linders, shown in 2019. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A man suspected in a shooting and carjacking was shot to death Tuesday evening by police in St. Cloud after he confronted officers with a firearm, according to authorities.

The suspect was found sitting in a car at 5:57 p.m. in a parking lot in the 2200 block of W. Division Street, police said. After police blocked his vehicle and tried to arrest him, he emerged with a gun. Multiple officers fired, and the man died at the scene despite lifesaving efforts from an ambulance crew, according to a statement from St. Cloud police.

A woman in the car was also injured and is being treated at St. Cloud Hospital. Her injuries are not considered life threatening.

The suspect allegedly shot at a St. Paul officer Monday night following a scuffle on the city's East Side, prompting the officer to return fire. No one was struck during the exchange.

Both officers involved were placed on paid administrative leave, as is standard following use-of-force incidents.

Police were called to the 900 block of Algonquin Avenue just before 6 p.m. Monday on a report of a suspicious male digging around in the back of a vehicle. They found a man matching the suspect's description but were unable to identify him, said police spokesman Steve Linders. He resisted as officers tried to detain him.

The suspect broke free from officers' grasp and ran, before pulling a firearm and shooting in their direction. Minutes later, a man with a gun forced a woman from her vehicle a block away, at the intersection of Stillwater Avenue and Hazel Street. Investigators are working to determine whether the incidents were related.

Staff writer Matt McKinney contributed to this report.

about the writer

Liz Sawyer

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Liz Sawyer  covers Minneapolis crime and policing at the Star Tribune. Since joining the newspaper in 2014, she has reported extensively on Minnesota law enforcement, state prisons and the youth justice system. 

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