911 transcript shows man fatally shot by Minneapolis police was suicidal

A 911 transcript released by Minneapolis police on Sunday reveals that the man officers fatally shot on Friday was suicidal and struggling with mental health problems.

The caller was requesting a welfare check after receiving a text from Travis Jordan in which he expressed thoughts of suicide. She told the dispatcher that Jordan had threatened her when she told him she was planning to call the police.

"[He] said, 'Go ahead and call the cops, I'll talk to them when they get here,' " she told the dispatcher.

Officers responded to the 3700 block of Morgan Avenue N. just after 2 p.m.

Police spokesman John Elder said Friday that an armed man came out of the residence and was shot by an officer. Scanner traffic indicated that the man was shot in the stomach. Although police initially said the victim's injuries were not critical, he later died at North Memorial Health Hospital in Robbinsdale.

The Hennepin County medical examiner said Sunday that Jordan, 36, died of gunshot wounds.

Later Friday night, a Shakopee police officer fatally shot a man who pointed a gun at an officer who was responding to a fire alarm. The medical examiner also released his name and cause of death Sunday night: James Paul Hanchett, 61, died at St. Francis Regional Medical Center of gunshot wounds.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified the police officer as Thor (pronounced Tor) Carlson, a 12-year veteran of the Shakopee Police Department. He is on standard administrative leave.

Citing the results of a preliminary investigation, the BCA said Sunday night that Shakopee police responded to the fire alarm call on the 800 block of Apgar street just after 11 p.m. There, they encountered Hanchett at the door. Authorities have not released any details about the shooting.

The BCA said authorities recovered a handgun from the scene. The officers were wearing body cameras and the incident was recorded.

In the Minneapolis case, the BCA said it will provide additional information, including the names of the officers involved, once initial interviews are complete.

Fox 9 reported that the 911 call on Friday afternoon came from Jordan's girlfriend, who was not identified. In the transcript, her name and personal information were redacted. She said several times in her 911 call that Jordan was considering killing himself.

"I mean he calls me all the time saying he wants to die, and I don't know how to deal with it," she said, adding that he told her he wanted to take his own life at his mother's house in Waseca.

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."

No officers were injured during the encounter, Elder said, and their body cameras were on. Both officers are being placed on standard administrative leave during the BCA investigation.

The 911 caller is known to the police, Elder said, and authorities believe that the caller felt threatened.

In an interview with Fox 9, Jordan's roommate, Paul Johnson, said Jordan, who went by "TJ" had been living with him and Allison Reinke for about six months.

"He was a great friend," Johnson said. "Just kind and loving and generous in everything he did."

"We are sad, we are very angry at the outcome," Reinke said. "We are heartbroken."

Mara Klecker • 612-673-4440