Authorities have identified the sheriff's deputy who shot a passenger in a car that allegedly fled an attempted traffic stop in northwestern Minnesota.
Deputy who shot woman after car chase in northwestern Minnesota identified
The victim told the Star Tribune the deputy fired as she was removing a gun from her shirt.
March 16, 2022 at 1:50AM
Deputy Dakota Czerny, who has been with the Mahnomen County Sheriff's Office for one year, shot Shequoya Deanne Basswood, 20, of Mahnomen on Sunday, according to a news release from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Basswood told the Star Tribune from her hospital bed Monday at Sanford Medical Center in Fargo that she sustained numerous internal injuries including a bullet in her back.
Czerny is on standard administrative leave. A firearm was found at the scene, and it is unclear to BCA officials whether Basswood discharged it, according to the release. The incident was captured on dash camera, and the aftermath was captured on body camera.
BCA officials say the incident started when a different Mahnomen County sheriff's deputy attempted to make a traffic stop for a speeding violation on eastbound Hwy. 200 about 1:30 a.m. Sunday.
The vehicle fled, and at one point the deputy's vehicle went into a ditch. Czerny picked up the pursuit and used a maneuver to stop the suspect vehicle. It then went into a ditch at County Road 4 and Church Street in the village of Naytahwaush.
Authorities say two of the six occupants fled. Czerny was arresting one of the four passengers when "Basswood produced a handgun." Czerny discharged his firearm, injuring Basswood.
Czerny provided medical aid, and Basswood was taken to a nearby health center and then flown by helicopter to the Fargo hospital. No one else was injured.
One of the two men who fled was identified and interviewed by authorities. The other has not been found. The BCA asks that this man — or anyone who can identify him — contact the BCA at 651-793-7000.
The BCA is investigating and will provide a review of its findings to the Mahnomen County Attorney's Office, according to the release.
Basswood, who splits her time between the Mahnomen area and Minneapolis, said she was outside the vehicle when she was shot.
"He told me to put my hands on the hood. I did have a Glock in my shirt … so, I took it out," she said. "He must have thought I was going to shoot him."
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