After SWAT standoff, Edina surgeon charged with threatening family members

An Edina eye surgeon at the center of a four-hour SWAT standoff last weekend has been charged with threats of violence after his sister told police he threatened to kill her and that his mother said earlier this year that he had pointed a gun at her.

Jeffrey Paul Sanderson, 54, was arrested after the standoff ended peacefully Saturday. He remained jailed Thursday on charges filed in Hennepin County District Court.

He is being held in lieu of $30,000 bail but has not yet appeared at two scheduled court dates.

The Edina Police Department also filed a petition for an extreme risk protection order against Sanderson.

Sanderson’s family members provided a statement asking for privacy, adding that “there is no immediate threat of harm and this is a mental health issue that has been blown out of proportion.”

Sanderson, who played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin after a standout prep career in Minnesota, owns Sanderson Eye and Beautifeye in Edina. His member profile with the Refractive Surgery Alliance Society notes that he “is a cornea fellowship trained anterior segment surgeon specializing in laser refractive and intraocular procedures.”

According to the court documents:

Edina police have responded several times to a residence in the 5100 block of Schaefer Road in Edina since April 2023 because of Sanderson’s mental health and substance abuse issues.

On July 12 of this year, officers found him “bleeding profusely” and had to restrain him in order to get him into an ambulance and to a hospital. The next day, police were called again after Sanderson allegedly pushed his sister and declared, “I’m going to kill you,” when she told him he needed treatment.

A search of the property found numerous guns in a safe and around the house. Sanderson’s mother told officers in January that he pointed a handgun at her but said she didn’t call police because she didn’t believe her son would shoot her. However, she said Sanderson has told family members he would shoot anyone who tries to take him to the hospital.

According to the emergency protection order request, “Family members told law enforcement and paramedics that they are unable to care for Mr. Sanderson in his current state and they are fearful that if they have to call 911, someone will get killed.”

It also says in the past 15 months, Sanderson has twice been transported on a psychiatric hold for depression, intoxication and injuries as a result of intoxication.

His mother also reported that she believe her son may be prescribing medications to himself.