Law enforcement fatally shoots man after long standoff west of Twin Cities

Law enforcement fatally shot a man with a long history of mental illness after a lengthy standoff at his home west of the Twin Cities, officials and family said Thursday.

The encounter occurred in New Auburn, a city of about 400 residents roughly 60 miles southwest of Minneapolis in Sibley County, said state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension spokeswoman Bonney Bowman.

The man was identified to the Star Tribune as Brent A. Alsleben, 34, who lived in the 8200 block of 3rd Street, according to his sister, Stacia Schulz. She declined to comment further.

A news release issued about 15 hours after the man's death said the Sheriff's Office started assisting about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday with a welfare check request at Alsleben's apartment.

"Law enforcement was on the scene for over 10 hours as they tried to communicate with [Alsleben]," the release explained. "Shortly after midnight [Thursday], law enforcement was in a situation where force was used which resulted in the death of an adult male."

Emergency dispatch audio from the scene disclosed that Alsleben was shot multiple times.

The release did not say whether Alsleben made any threats toward law enforcement or had a weapon. Sheriff Patrick Nienaber did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.

State Bureau of Criminal Apprehension personnel have arrived in New Auburn to begin their investigation of the shooting, said Bowman.

Officials have not disclosed whether it was a sheriff's deputy who shot Alsleben or a member of another agency who might have been there during the standoff. New Auburn does not have a police department and contracts with the Sheriff's Office for its public safety needs.

Court records filed this week show that law enforcement officers "have been attempting [welfare] checks since Sept. 26 with no luck in contacting him. [Alsleben's] psychiatrist has spoken with law enforcement recently as well and advised them that [he] must go to the ER if they make contact with him."

The warning from the psychiatrist was included in a court order that assigned Schulz and his mother as Alsleben's legal guardians three days ago after a finding that he "requires supervision to ensure his safety, especially during psychosis episodes."

The case file notes that he was bipolar, was committed for six months in 2011, had recently cut off communication with his family, hadn't taken his medications since April and has physically harmed himself in the past.

Since 2000, there have been 223 officer-involved deaths in Minnesota, according to a Star Tribune database.

Also, at least 45 percent of people who have died in forceful encounters with law enforcement in Minnesota between 2000 and 2016 had a history of mental illness or were in the throes of a mental health crisis, according to a Star Tribune analysis of death certificate data, court and law enforcement records and interviews with family members.

Star Tribune data journalist Jeff Hargarten contributed to this report.