Man shot by Walker police officer after wielding knife is jailed on probable cause assault

WALKER, MINN. – A Laporte, Minn., man was being held in jail Saturday on suspicion of assault after brandishing a knife Friday evening at a Walker police officer, who shot him.

The 31-year-old man was treated and discharged from a Bemidji hospital and booked into the Itasca County Jail in Grand Rapids, Minn., on two counts of probable cause second-degree assault with a weapon.

The Minnesota Star Tribune generally does not name suspects until they’ve been charged.

According to police, the incident Friday began when an officer was flagged down by a resident reporting a man “wearing only boxer shorts and acting erratically.“

Around the same time, a 911 caller said a man matching that description was in front of a business on Minnesota Avenue and carrying a knife. Callers reported that several vehicles in the area had their tires punctured.

The responding officer found the man and chased him on foot to the Dollar General store, near the intersection of Hwy. 34 and Minnesota Avenue. Once inside, the man threatened to kill the employees, sprayed bug spray and threw items at the officer.

Dick Johnson, who lives in nearby Benedict, had just pulled up to the store and was going inside for a gallon of milk when he saw the officer confront the man. He said the officer had drawn his gun and was repeatedly telling the man to drop the knife, while the man kept saying, “I’ll kill you.”

“That cop knew what he’s doing,” Johnson said. “He purposely aimed down, and he shot the kid right in the arm. The kid went down, got right back up, ran across the road, still carrying the knife.”

Officers provided aid to the suspect, who was taken by ambulance to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center. Jail records show he was booked around 11 p.m. Friday.

Johnson said the man had been waving the knife at the Dollar General cashier, demanding a pack of cigarettes. The cashier, who declined to give her name, said the experience was “just freaky” and that she was still shook up.

The officer, who was placed on standard critical incident leave, was wearing a body camera that recorded the incident. The name of the officer will be released later by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is leading the investigation.

Other agencies assisting at the scene included the State Patrol, Sheriff’s Office, Walker police and Leech Lake Tribal police.

The Dollar General parking lot was cordoned off with yellow police tape Friday night. Customers in the store at the time of the shooting were being held for questioning, including members of a bachelorette party.

Denae Lashman, 21, said her bridal party came to Walker from rural North Dakota for the weekend. They had gone to Dollar General for paint to decorate wine glasses back at their hotel, but instead had to remain at the store for three hours for questioning by detectives.