Stillwater man fired at neighbors, police, before officers killed him, chief says

Investigators have yet to publicly identify a man Stillwater police shot and killed Saturday afternoon after he allegedly shot at his neighbors and officers.

Stillwater Police Chief Brian Mueller said in an interview Saturday night that officers initially responded to an unknown medical call at the Curve Crest Villas, 2225 Orleans St. W., at 2:20 p.m., immediately followed by reports of gunshots, including one caller screaming. Officers were told of someone who said they had been shot.

When officers arrived at the modest apartment building just off Hwy. 5, Mueller said police arrived to find what he described as an active shooter scene.

"[It was] a very scary situation," Mueller said. Multiple law enforcement agencies responded. People in several nearby single-family homes were instructed to shelter in place for a brief period, Mueller said.

The apartment complex is next door to the St. Croix Valley Recreation Center, and Mueller said a large number of children were in the vicinity for youth competitions. The center closed Saturday afternoon but reopened Sunday.

Mueller said the man fired multiple rounds in and outside the apartment, and several people were hurt.

Officers took fire upon arriving, Mueller said, but none was hurt. One officer returned fire in the parking lot, which is surrounded by the U-shaped apartment building, and shot the man, Mueller said.

The suspect was pronounced dead at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.

The two or three people injured during the gunfire were treated at the scene, but the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear. Mueller said the suspect, who had several rounds of handgun ammunition, was the only fatality. He said he doesn't believe other suspects were involved.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting, and a spokeswoman said the agency would not release any new details Sunday.