Minnesota BCA identifies officers who fired at man in fatal Eagan standoff

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has identified five police officers who fired their weapons at the end of a four-hour standoff in Eagan, killing a 23-year-old Columbia Heights man who authorities say threatened a woman with a handgun.

The BCA's preliminary report, released Saturday, said a driver called 911 from the area of Hwy. 13 and Burgundy Drive at 6 p.m. on July 2 to report that a man had pointed a handgun at her and threatened her.

Just before officers arrived, the man, later identified as Isak Abdirahman Aden, had jumped out of the vehicle. They saw him running into the woods near Hwy. 13 and Silver Bell Road.

Meanwhile, the woman who had called 911 also had fled from her vehicle and hidden from Aden, the BCA said.

Officers pursued Aden to a parking lot next to a business on Seneca Road. For almost four hours, they negotiated with Aden to try to get him to drop the firearm and surrender, the BCA said.

The agency did not say exactly what happened before five officers fired at Aden. He was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, where he died.

A handgun and a cartridge casing were found next to Aden, the BCA said.

As part of its investigation, the BCA will examine body and squad-car video of the incident. It will present its findings to the Dakota County Attorney's Office, which will decide if any charges should be filed against the officers involved.

The five officers who fired their rifles, all of whom are on standard administrative leave, were:

• Anthony Kiehl, Bloomington police, six years in law enforcement.

• Daniel Nelson, Bloomington police, 10 years in law enforcement.

• Jacob Peterson, Eagan police, 10 years in law enforcement.

• Matt Ryan, Bloomington police, 11 years in law enforcement.

• Adam Stier, Bloomington police, 12 years in law enforcement.

The woman who called 911 to report that Aden was threatening her was not hurt, the BCA said. It did not say whether she and Aden knew each other.

On Monday, Aden's family held a news conference at the south Minneapolis offices of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations calling for the public release of all information about the case, including the squad-car and body camera video.

The BCA has said the footage cannot be released until the investigation is completed.

Pamela Miller • 612-673-4290