Authorities on Wednesday identified Mario Alejandro Molina Campos, 26, of Rochester as the man who was shot and killed by an undercover police officer Tuesday afternoon in Dodge Center, Minn.
Man killed in Dodge Center drug sting identified
August 28, 2008 at 1:49AM
Campos was a suspect in an undercover drug investigation that authorities refused to discuss in detail. A plainclothes agent with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension met with Campos at John's Foods, a grocery store at County Roads 25 and 34, said BCA Superintendent Tim O'Malley.
Campos drove his car into the agent about 4:30 p.m. and tried to drive out of the parking lot, according to authorities. Several undercover officers approached Campos, and one of them, an Owatonna police officer, fired. Authorities would not say how many shots were fired.
CPR was performed, but Campos died at the scene.
The shooting is under investigation, and authorities said many details still need to be ironed out. It was unclear what Campos did to prompt the officer to fire.
"Preliminarily, it is understood that the officer that fired was in fear for the safety of the officers he was working with in this investigation, and his own life as well," said Owatonna police Chief Shaun LaDue.
The officer is on paid leave, as is customary in such cases. He has more than 20 years of experience with the department and has no disciplinary actions on his record, LaDue said.
The BCA agent suffered minor injuries and was treated and released Tuesday from St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester. The officer and agent's names are being withheld because of their undercover work, authorities said.
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