St. Paul police fatally shoot man, say he was threatening people with knife

A St. Paul police officer shot and killed a man Saturday night who police say was threatening others in an apartment complex with a knife.

The incident occurred around 5 p.m., after the man was asked to leave a group event in an apartment complex community room. Calls came in to police shortly after about an older man with a knife who was seen in different parts of the complex, located on the 100 block of Western Avenue South.

The man was holding a knife and advanced toward police officers when they found him in a first-floor hallway of the building, said Sgt. Mike Ernster, a St. Paul police spokesman. "Officers attempted to get him to drop the knife. The officers retreated as the man advanced toward them. One officer deployed a taser and another fired shots at the man."

Resuscitation efforts by St. Paul Fire Department medics were unsuccessful, and the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Ernster said the identities of people involved in the incident and other details will need to come from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the shooting. A tweet from the state agency only confirmed the investigation was underway.

Ernster said all officers involved will be placed on administrative leave, per department policy. The officers were wearing active body cameras that will be used as part of the BCA investigation.

More than 220 officer-involved shootings have occurred in Minnesota since 2000, including at least 30 in St. Paul. The most recent incident on Dec. 14 involved a 34-year-old man who was shot and killed in New Auburn, Minn., when he reportedly used a knife to fight with police officers who were sent to check on his mental welfare.

St. Paul police shot a 24-year-old man on Dec. 4 who authorities said was armed with a gun.