BCA identifies Stearns Co. deputy who shot suspect following threats

State officials have identified the deputy who shot and wounded a suspect in St. Joseph, Minn., after the man allegedly pointed a gun at the officer.

Deputy Tyler Thunstedt with the Stearns County Sheriff's Office fired his department rifle and injured a 38-year-old St. Joseph man Wednesday, according to a news release from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Thunstedt has eight years of experience in law enforcement, the agency said.

St. Joseph police first responded June 20 to the residence in the 200 block of Able Street E., to reports of the suspect making threats of violence. The man pointed a gun at them and then ran away, the BCA said. The suspect allegedly called the police department multiple times that night and made more threats of violence.

That night a warrant was issued for the man's arrest.

Thunstedt was part a SWAT team that attempted to serve the warrant around 5 p.m. on June 21. The deputy saw the man run across the yard toward a neighbor's house, the BCA said.

The suspect allegedly ignored commands to stop and drop his gun. The man pointed his gun in the direction of Thunstedt, the BCA said, and the deputy fired three times; one bullet hit the man.

The officers provided medical treatment before crews took the man to a hospital. The suspect remains in stable condition, the BCA said. No one else was injured.

The Sheriff's Office asked the BCA to investigate the incident. Following the investigation the BCA will present its findings to the Stearns County Attorney's Office for review.