Officials: Law enforcement gunfire killed man in shootout in Minnetonka

The man killed in a shootout Wednesday with Hennepin County deputies at a Minnetonka home died by law enforcement gunfire, officials said Friday, while a deputy injured in the firefight has been released from the hospital.

Clint Lavelle Hoyhtya, 28, was shot multiple times during the firefight late in the morning at his home in the 13400 block of E. Crestwood Drive, the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office said.

Two deputies at the scene were wounded. One of them, Christopher Heihn, was released from HCMC on Thursday. The other deputy, who has not yet been identified, was treated at the scene for unspecified injuries and did not require hospitalization.

Authorities have yet to explain what led to the shooting or who fired first. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation and could have further information sometime next week.

Hundreds of emergency responders greeted Heihn upon his discharge, the Sheriff’s Office said. He has worked for the HCSO for eight years.

“Deputy Heihn is an integral part of our Sheriff’s Office family, and we honor his bravery and dedication to public safety,” a social media posting from the Sheriff’s Office read. “Let’s continue to keep Deputy Heihn in our thoughts as he recovers, as well as all deputies, officers, and emergency responders involved as they continue to process a tremendously difficult situation.”

Deputies were serving an arrest warrant when gunfire erupted. Hoyhtya died at the scene. Dispatch audio and a law enforcement source also confirmed that Hoyhtya was not the subject of Wednesday’s warrant.

“Police shot the wrong guy,” Thomas Hoyhtya, the man’s father who owns the home told the Star Tribune on Thursday. “They kicked in the door, he was in the back and probably playing video games. It was his day off.”

Hoyhtya was described on dispatch audio as wearing body armor and had an “AK variant,” a reference to a high-powered firearm, next to his body following the gunfire.

“Suspect is down in the yard, he was firing at us in the end, giving him commands at this time,” according to the audio, which also relayed a lengthy scene in which Hoyhtya’s body remained in the yard until law enforcement could determine with robots and cameras that no one else was in the home.

Authorities declined to confirm what led to the shooting or who fired first. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating. They could share an update by early next week.

BCA statistics show 47 aggravated assaults against police officers this year through February, similar to the past three years. Last year’s statistics show about 950 total assaults on officers, which is more than double 2019′s reported numbers. Since 2021, the BCA has recorded more than 3,500 assaults on police officers. About 70% were simple punches, slaps or kicks, and a quarter were aggravated assaults. At least 140 assaults involved firearms. Police were responding to disturbance calls nearly a third of the time.

Star Tribune data reporter Jeff Hargarten contributed to this story.