Police: Officer north of Twin Cities fatally shoots woman armed with gun

An officer in North Branch, Minn., fatally shot a woman who had a gun, the police chief said early Friday.

The gunfire occurred about 9:20 p.m. Thursday north of the Twin Cities near the intersection of 3rd Avenue and Elm Street, where officers encountered a woman reported to be suicidal and intoxicated and armed with a handgun, Police Chief Dan Meyer said in a statement.

The chief said one officer fired a nonlethal pepper ball at the woman and another officer then shot her with his firearm.

Police gave aid to the woman before she died at the scene, Meyer said. Her identity has yet to be released.

The chief’s statement did not explain what prompted the officers to fire at the woman.

Meyer said the incident was captured on officers’ body-worn cameras.

The officers involved have been put on standard administrative leave, the chief said.

As is routine practice, the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation into the shooting and is expected to reveal further details in the coming days.

Since 2000, police in Minnesota have killed at least 240 people, including nine this year and 11 in the past year, according to a Star Tribune database.

Star Tribune staff writer Jeff Hargarten contributed to this report.