State investigators have identified the motorist who was fatally shot over the weekend in Wright County and said the suspect was killed by a sheriff’s deputy after exiting his SUV holding a knife.
BCA identifies man fatally shot by Wright County deputy, says he was holding a knife
The BCA did not say whether the 67-year-old man said something troubling to the deputy or made any threatening moves.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 7, 2024 at 11:30PM
Jeffrey Lynn Chapman, 67, of Albertville, Minn., died at the scene shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday in the 300 block of Ivory Avenue NE. in St. Michael, Minn., the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a search warrant affidavit filed Thursday asking a judge for permission to search his vehicle.
The affidavit gave few details about the interaction between Chapman and deputy Austin Feenstra, who pulled him over and fired the fatal shot.
Feenstra attempted to stop the SUV, but “the vehicle would not initially stop,” read the document, which did not reveal a reason for the stop.
Once the SUV pulled over, Chapman got out “with what was reported to be a knife,” the filing continued. “[Chapman] was shot and went down at the scene.”
The BCA document did not say whether Chapman said something troubling to the deputy or made any threatening moves.
A statement released a day later by the Wright County Sheriff’s Office said the driver confronted the deputy, refused to comply with demands and was shot twice in the torso.
A BCA agent arrived and saw that the plate on vehicle, registered to Chapman, had the letter “C” altered to look like an “O,” the affidavit noted.
A search at the scene turned up ammunition in the vehicle and a pocket knife, according to the court document.
According to the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards Training, the 26-year-old Feenstra was licensed in May 2023 and became a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office that month.
