A 63-year-old man shot during a standoff with police in Woodbury was allegedly pointing a “pistol-style” BB gun at officers, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Friday.
BCA says man pointed pistol-style BB gun at officers before he was shot in Woodbury
The BCA has identified six officers who used force during the Woodbury incident, including two who fired their guns.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
April 27, 2024 at 12:56AM
The man, identified as Donald Roche, remained hospitalized Friday in serious condition, according to the BCA’s update.
The BCA also identified the six officers who used force in the standoff, which took place late Monday morning outside the Target store off the Valley Creek Road exit of Interstate 494. Two fired their guns and four fired “less-than-lethal” chemical irritant rounds, the BCA said.
Woodbury police officer James Stoffel fired his rifle, and Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputy Brian Krook fired his handgun during the response, according to the release. They have since been placed on standard administrative leave. Krook and Stoffel have 13 and 11 years of law enforcement experience, respectively.
The officers who used less-than-lethal weapons were: Woodbury officers Scott Melander and Matthew Noren, and Cottage Grove officers Benjamin Deitner and Matthew Sorgaard.
Krook was acquitted for manslaughter in the 2018 shooting death of 23-year-old Benjamin Evans, who was armed and suicidal when Krook shot and killed him following lengthy negotiations.
Before the standoff this week, two Woodbury police license plate readers alerted officers about a vehicle that was linked to someone wanted in a felony-level crime, the BCA said.
When Roche returned to the unoccupied car in the Target parking lot, he resisted an attempted arrest by officers, according to the release. Roche displayed “what appeared to be a handgun” and police backed off, the BCA said. Roche got into the car before police called for assistance from Washington County’s SWAT team.
The team negotiated with Roche and used chemical irritant rounds to try and get him to surrender, the BCA said. He got out of the car and allegedly pointed his gun at the officers when Krook and Stoffel shot, according to the release.
The BCA recovered a pistol-style BB gun from the scene. Investigators will review officer body-worn camera footage and squad car footage from the incident, the BCA said. The findings will be submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.
The proposal suggests removing the 20-year protection on the Superior National Forest that President Joe Biden’s administration had ordered in 2023.
