Domestic assault suspect fatally shot after standoff in Eagan

A man was fatally shot Tuesday night after suburban SWAT teams surrounded an Eagan business district during an hourslong standoff that ended in exchanged gunfire, Eagan police said.

Eagan Police Chief Roger New said at a news conference Wednesday that who fired the fatal shot is under investigation. He said the man refused commands to drop his weapon and "at some point" shots were fired.

New says he doesn't know how many officers fired their weapons because several law enforcement agencies were involved. New says it's too soon in the investigation to say whether the man fired at officers.

Officers in tactical gear from Eagan, Bloomington and other area police departments responded to the scene near Hwy. 13 and Seneca Road just after 6 p.m. Tuesday on a report of an assault in progress. Police believe the suspect assaulted a woman in a car, then ran off.

Authorities located the suspect nearby, where they began negotiating with him around 7 p.m. He was alone and armed, said Eagan police spokesman Aaron Machtemes.

"It's contained in a business area with no people," Machtemes said during the standoff.

According to emergency dispatch audio, the man jumped out of a vehicle near the Twin Cities Premium Outlets shortly after the female motorist drove into oncoming traffic. The 911 call came in shortly after a domestic dispute inside the car.

Officers reported "shots fired" shortly before 11 p.m. TV news media at the scene reported hearing gunshots inside the building and seeing someone on a stretcher being loaded into an ambulance.