A man who fired numerous rounds from a high-powered rifle in a Minneapolis apartment building and was shot and detained by police has been identified in police records as a man who lives in one of the units.
Police ID suspected shooter wounded by Minneapolis officer in apartment building
Nathan Matz is suspected of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the gunfire, according to police records. The BCA also identified the officer who shot Matz.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
September 9, 2024 at 11:21PM
Nathan M. Matz, 40, is suspected of assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the gunfire before dawn Saturday at the building on the 4000 block of S. Minnehaha Avenue, according to police records.
Matz, who was captured in a stairwell after being shot in the jaw, was taken to HCMC. Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the suspected gunman was in stable condition and expected to survive. Charges against Matz are pending. Police records list this instance as the only time Matz has had contact with police in the city. State courts list no prior criminal history for Matz.
Paul Matz told the Star Tribune on Monday he has been unable to see his son since the shooting, and “we’re trying to get information” about his physical condition. He otherwise declined to say anything further about his son or the incident.
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Monday evening that Matz remains hospitalized in stable condition at HCMC and is expected to survive.
The BCA on Monday also identified the officer who shot Matz as Minneapolis Police Sergeant Ben Bauer. He has been in law enforcement for 12 years and remains on standard critical-incident leave, the agency said in a statement. Another officer who witnessed the shooting is also on such leave.
In a news conference Saturday morning, O’Hara described the shooting as a “terrifying incident for dozens of residents.”
According to police:
Officers were told of a man walking around the 4000 block of S. Minnehaha Avenue with a shotgun around 10:50 p.m. Friday. They searched the area but could not find him.
Hours later, dozens of 911 calls flooded the Police Department. Callers reported shots fired inside the apartment building at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. They said they heard glass breaking and someone banging on doors.
As authorities helped dozens from the building, officers and SWAT members contained the shooter as he repeatedly fired an AK-47 rifle. At 5:33 a.m., an officer shot him. He was disarmed and taken to the hospital.
The suspect’s motive is unclear, but police said he was heavily armed. They recovered a shotgun, an AK-47, a .45-caliber handgun and a backpack filled with ammo. O’Hara said the man wore a military-style flak jacket, body armor that holds bullets while protecting its user from gunfire.
“We had the bomb squad come out to check the backpack because I was concerned it could be a boobytrap for first responders,” O’Hara said at the news conference.
Brad Nelson, owner of Level 10 Management, the company that manages the 24-unit apartment building, said residents were allowed to return later Saturday.
He said he wasn’t aware of any previous calls to law enforcement in connection with the suspect and that property management is waiting to learn more from police about what happened.
Once the investigation is complete the BCA will provide its findings to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to review for charges, the agency said.
Greta Kaul contributed to this story.
Brooklyn Park leaders are exploring how to build out the northwestern part of city where farmland and empty fields surround the site of the future light-rail station.