Body camera footage shows woman pointing gun at St. Paul officers before they return fire

State investigators on Friday identified the woman shot and killed by St. Paul police officers Monday, while body camera footage released by the police department shows the moment she pulled a gun without warning and pointed it at them before they returned fire.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said Pepsi Lee Heinl, 41, of St. Paul, died of gunshot wounds after officers were called to a home in the 1100 block of Rose Avenue E. for what police described as “a suicide in progress.”

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety also identified the three St. Paul police officers who fired their handguns. Officers Chiking Chazonkhueze, Chee Lao and Yengkong Lor are all on standard administrative leave. Chazonkhueze has 3½ years of law enforcement experience, Lao has three months and Lor has three years.

“These are never easy events. This was not an outcome that anybody wanted. But we are committed to staying true and being patient while BCA investigates this and making sure that that process goes on unfettered,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said. “But again, we are always here to make sure that whenever we can, our piece of this is done in the quickest fastest way and that’s why we release this body camera footage today.”

According to the BCA: St. Paul police officers responded to a home on reports of a suicidal woman. When they arrived, the woman’s mother called them into a back room of the home. There they saw Heinl sitting on the floor and asked her whether she needed help. She “rapidly reached under a blanket,” pulled out a handgun, stood up and pointed it at the officers. Chazonkhueze, Lao and Lor fired their handguns at her, striking her multiple times. The officers attempted to provide lifesaving aid, but Heinl died at the scene.

BCA crime scene personnel recovered a handgun and cartridge casings at the scene. The officers were wearing body cameras that captured the incident. BCA agents are reviewing the video as part of their investigation.

Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without a charging recommendation to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office for review.

According to a 911 transcript, a caller told dispatchers: “My daughter is committing suicide! Hurry, please!” before hanging up. A compilation of body camera footage from each of the officers shows them entering the house and announcing their presence before they are called to a back room by Heinl’s mother, who frantically tells them: “She was turning blue on her mouth and she wasn’t breathing!”

Heinl, sitting on the floor, looks up at the officers and then pulls away from her mother as the officers ask her if she is OK.

“I’m tired,” she says, as her mother tells the officers: “She’s not OK.”

“I’m OK,” Heinl says — then in a matter of seconds reaches under a blanket, grabs a handgun and stands, pointing it at the officers before they fire at least a dozen shots at her, causing her to fall backward onto the bed. The officers kick the gun away and the footage ends.

“It escalated very quickly. And I’m struck by the fact that we went from a situation where I watched the video seeing an officer leaned over a person being very empathetic and asking, ‘Are you OK, how can I help you?’ and seeing how quickly things can change,” Henry said. “And so it’s something we have to really focus on as an entire community, not just the police department, about how we help and support and deal with people that are in crisis.”

Heinl was born in Duluth and attended Century College in White Bear Lake after graduating from high school, according to her online obituary. She worked most recently as a security officer, the obituary said.

Tribal rites for Heinl are scheduled for Sunday at the East Lake Ceremonial Building in McGregor, Minn.