Armed man shot during standoff with police outside Target in Woodbury

An armed man was shot following a standoff with police late Monday morning outside a Target store in Woodbury.

The incident occurred at the Target off the Valley Creek Road exit of Interstate 494, where SWAT personnel were on the scene and the store was briefly put on lockdown with customers inside, police said.

The wounded man, believed to be about 50 years old, was taken by emergency medical personnel to Regions Hospital in St. Paul, police said. His identity was not released Monday.

One Woodbury officer and one Washington County deputy involved in the incident have been placed on standard administrative leave, police said.

At a news conference, Woodbury Police Chief Jason Posel declined to take questions after detailing what happened in the incident. He did not provide an update on the injured man’s condition. About 10 news outlets gathered at Woodbury’s public safety building for the event, where Posel spoke for about three minutes and praised the responding officers and the retailers at the scene.

“This was a busy time in the shopping center, it was a scary scene with shoppers either evacuating or forced to shelter in place,” Posel said. “We appreciate the community and retailers’ assistance with keeping everyone safe.”

Imran Ali, general counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, said in a statement, “As a former Washington County Prosecutor, this hit too close to home. While no officer was shot, this could have ended much differently.”

“All over Minnesota, we continue to see a disturbing trend of violence directed at law enforcement. Right now, our women and men need more than thoughts and prayers. It is crucial for leaders to condemn violence against law enforcement and stand in solidarity with officers who put their lives on the line to protect their communities.”

Officers were alerted around 9:30 a.m. to a vehicle with stolen license plates in the Target parking lot, according to police. A man returned to the unoccupied vehicle and fought with officers when they attempted to arrest him, police said.

“The officers saw the suspect had a handgun and disengaged,” a police statement read. The man then barricaded himself in the vehicle.

Police called in a SWAT team, a negotiator and a social worker, Posel said. They attempted to negotiate with the man, but it was unsuccessful, he said.

Officers fired “less than lethal” weapons as the man failed to cooperate with law enforcement.

Eventually, the man got out of his vehicle, pointed a handgun “in the direction of responding officers, who then fired,” the police statement read.

Police released an aerial photo of the man crouched behind a vehicle and pointing his weapon. At the news conference, police released another photo they said was of the man’s gun.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation, which includes reviewing video from law enforcement body-worn and squad vehicles.

Allura Lindquist said her mother, Fiona, was in the store during the lockdown. She said she first heard from her mother about 9:40 a.m. about the situation. She said her mother took cover toward the back of store and away from any windows.

Once the lockdown ended, Allura Lindquist said, she needed to pick her mother up because “her car is directly across from the [suspect’s] car, so hers is part of the crime scene.”