Minneapolis sued over police shooting

A wrongful-death suit was filed Tuesday by the family of a man shot to death by Minneapolis police in September.

Dominic Felder, 27, was shot near his house in the 3900 block of Bloomington Avenue S. on Sept. 20. Police said officers Jason King and Lawrence Loonsfoot responded to a domestic call at Felder's house, and Felder resisted arrest, fought with the officers and grabbed King's gun. Loonsfoot shot and killed Felder.

An independent report prepared by former U.S. Attorney B. Todd Jones said Felder's DNA was found on King's gun.

Police were summoned by several 911 calls, one of which described Felder as suffering from a "mental attack."

The suit alleges that King and Loonsfoot approached Felder with their guns drawn even though he appeared to be calm and unarmed. He jogged away, and a witness said she yelled at the officers not to shoot Felder because he was unarmed and having mental problems.

The officers struggled with Felder, who was 5-feet-1 and weighed about 150 pounds. He had no alcohol or other mood-altering chemicals in his system at the time, the suit said.

"This is a tragic example of what can happen when poorly trained and supervised police officers escalate a situation into the use of deadly force," said Jim Behrenbrinker, one of the lawyers representing the Felder family.

If King and Loonsfoot needed to subdue Felder, they should have used chemical spray, a Taser, flashlight, or riot stick, Behrenbrinker said.

Felder's death has changed the way the police department investigates officer-involved shootings. Officers now are required to give a statement within 48 hours. The department had had no time limit, which frustrated victim's relatives and community leaders.

David Chanen • 612-673-4465