Minneapolis police responding to a mental health crisis call shot and killed a man they say was suicidal and armed on the city's North Side Friday afternoon.
Officers were called to the 3700 block of Morgan Avenue N. on a report of the suicidal man just after 2 p.m.
"An individual adult male came outside the residence armed and was subsequently shot by an officer," police spokesman John Elder said. Elder would not specify what kind of weapon the man had, but according to scanner audio, an officer reported to dispatch that "he has a knife" and "he's coming outside."
Moments later, the officer put out a call of shots fired.
Scanner traffic indicated that the man suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach. Although police initially said the victim's injuries were not critical, he later died at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale.
No officers were injured during the encounter, Elder said, and their body cameras were on. Both officers will be placed on standard administrative leave during an investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
"There is no officer that comes to work wanting to harm or kill someone during their shift," Elder said. "It's a bad situation all the way around."
The 911 caller is known to the police, he added, and authorities believe that the caller genuinely felt threatened. Elder said he was unsure whether responders tried to de-escalate the situation before firing. It's not yet clear how many officers fired a weapon, he said.