Olivia, Minn., police officer fatally shoots person

Report says incident took place in alley after 2 a.m.

July 4, 2021 at 9:42PM
Law enforcement converged on the scene in Olivia, where someone was fatally shot by police Sunday. (Provided by the Renville County Register/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A police officer in Olivia, Minn., fatally shot a person early Sunday.

According to a city news release, at 2:20 a.m., an armed person confronted an on-duty officer in an alley near the 800 block of Lincoln Avenue in Olivia, a town of about 2,500 people 94 miles west of Minneapolis.

"An altercation took place between the officer and the individual which resulted in the officer discharging their firearm," said the city's statement.

The person was taken to Olivia Hospital and pronounced dead. No identity has been released.

Information was only immediately available from the city's news release, issued by Olivia City Administrator Dan Coughlin. No independent accounts of the events were yet available. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.

"The BCA is in the very early stage of our investigation and we will be able to release more information once we complete our work at the scene and once we complete the initial interviews and get information from the medical examiner's office," BCA spokeswoman Jill Oliveira said.

Oliveira said the BCA is investigating whether the incident was captured on video. She declined to comment on what alleged weapon the person possessed and whether there were any witnesses to the shooting.

The officer has been placed on administrative leave, according to the city.

Mayor Jon Hawkinson declined to comment on the shooting and whether Olivia police wear body cameras.

The shooting occurred downtown, said Olivia Council Member Tom Kalahar. The city has a police force of five officers, he said.

Chao Xiong • 612-270-4708

Twitter: @ChaoStrib

about the writer

about the writer

Chao Xiong

Reporter

Chao Xiong was the Hennepin County Courts reporter for the Star Tribune. He previously covered Ramsey County courts, St. Paul police, the state of Minnesota and the city of Minneapolis.

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