St. Paul police on Tuesday released body and traffic camera recordings of the moment officers shot a man — later suspected of killing three people in Minneapolis — at a busy city intersection last month.
St. Paul police release body camera footage of officers shooting armed Minneapolis murder suspect
Authorities believe Earl Bennett killed three people before turning a gun on officers and himself in St. Paul.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
November 5, 2024 at 11:26PM
The 20 minutes of footage shows officers approach 40-year-old Earl Bennett as he held a gun to his head while walking barefoot and shirtless along University Avenue just before 8 p.m. Oct. 28.
Police tried to de-escalate the situation by asking Bennett to lower the weapon and by firing less-lethal projectiles at him. When he pointed the gun at them, four officers opened fire.
Bennett was taken to Regions Hospital, where he was listed that day in critical but stable condition. He remains in police custody.
Video from officer Chase Robinson’s body camera shows people telling police of a barefoot man with a gun, followed a couple of minutes later by the encounter between Bennett and officers. He holds a gun to his head and appears to yell and point at officers and passersby.
“Drop the gun!” the officers repeatedly yell as Bennett, standing in the intersection of Snelling and University, insists the weapon is not loaded.
Officers take cover and attempt to wave traffic out of the way of danger. At one point, a man on a bicycle tells them he will take the weapon from Bennett because “he ain’t got no bullets.”
“Do not go over there,” an officer says, telling him to let officers handle it.
”Drop the gun. Get on the ground, man. We want to help you!” officers tell Bennett, firing less lethal weapons fired at him. “We don’t want to kill you, man, please just drop the gun!”
A moment later, Bennett appears to point the gun at officers. More than a dozen gunshots ring out.
“Y’all did not have to do that!” a bystander shouts before about a dozen officers approach Bennett as he lies on the ground near the metro train tracks.
“Our city experienced another episode of gun violence last week,” Police Chief Axel Henry said in a statement after the shooting. “Our officers responded to one of the busiest intersections in our state for a person shooting a gun.
“Given the location, time of day, and number of motorists, light-rail users, and people on foot and bicycles in the area, I am thankful more people weren’t injured.”
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating. Officials said the officers involved were:
- Officer Shawn Marlowe, who fired a rifle and has been in law enforcement for 10 years.
- Officer Chase Robinson, who fired a handgun and has been in law enforcement for 10 years.
- Sgt. Lamichael Shead, who discharged his handgun and has been in law enforcement for eight years.
- Officer Blake Steffen, who fired his rifle and has been in law enforcement for four years.
- Officer Peov Suon, who fired 40mm less lethal rounds and has been in law enforcement for three years.
- Officer Austin Borowicz, who fired 40mm less lethal rounds and has been in law enforcement for three years.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office charged Bennett on Monday with three counts of second-degree murder. According to the charges, Bennett, who has no permanent address but recently stayed in the Twin Cities, fatally shot three people inside a tent in a homeless encampment before fleeing on an electric bike.
He was also charged with attempted first-degree murder for a shooting at a Minneapolis sober house hours before his confrontation with St. Paul police.
Bennett’s criminal history includes felony convictions for fleeing and assaulting police, escaping custody, and for drug possession.
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