Washington County deputy fatally shoots man threatening suicide

A suicidal man was fatally shot by a Washington County sheriff's deputy shortly after midnight Thursday.

The Ramsey County medical examiner's office identified the man Thursday afternoon as Benjamin W. Evans. Lori Hedican, chief investigator for the office, said no manner or cause of death has been determined. Evans was a resident of Washington County, Hedican said.

According to a news release by the sheriff's office: Authorities received a call at 12:09 a.m. reporting a suicidal male. The caller said that a 23-year-old white male made suicidal comments.

Deputies found the man in the city of Lake Elmo near Lake Elmo Avenue and 34th Street. He was armed with a handgun, the sheriff's office said. Deputies began to talking with him in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, the news release said. "At some point during the encounter, deputies used less lethal ammunition. Later, one deputy discharged his firearm at the subject."

Lifesaving efforts were administered at the scene, and Evans was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he was pronounced dead.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) will investigate the shooting. The Sheriff's Office released few other details about the encounter between deputies and the man. The office and the BCA are still evaluating whether the incident was captured on body cameras or squad car dash cameras.

Other agencies that assisted the Sheriff's Office include: Oakdale Police Department, the Woodbury Public Safety Department, the Minnesota State Patrol, the Lake Elmo Fire Department and Lakeview Ambulance.

Chao Xiong