A Wright County deputy mistook a metal pipe wielded by a suspect for a knife before he shot and killed him last weekend in St. Michael, according to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
The BCA issued a news release Friday with more details on the fatal shooting of Jeffrey Chapman, 67, of Albertville, who was shot and killed by Deputy Austin Feenstra.
According to the BCA, Feenstra tried to pull Chapman over shortly before 5 a.m. on March 2 for erratic driving that included weaving, slowing down and sudden acceleration. Chapman drove two blocks before stopping, getting out of his car and walking toward Feenstra, who backed away and ordered him to stop.
Instead, Chapman moved toward the deputy and pulled a metal pipe from his waistband, the BCA said. Feenstra shot him multiple times with his service handgun. Officers provided aid but Chapman died at the scene.
One deputy on the scene was heard yelling on emergency dispatch: “Shots fired! Shots fired! Knife pulled.”
After the shooting, Feenstra said over the radio that the suspect was holding a knife. But while providing aid to Chapman he saw it was a pipe, the BCA said.
Crime scene investigators recovered the 9-inch metal pipe and bullet casings at the scene. A folding knife found in Chapman’s car was not involved in the incident.
The Wright County Sheriff’s Office does not have body cameras so there is no body-worn footage of the incident, though a squad car camera captured part of what happened, BCA said. The case remains under investigation; once it’s complete, the BCA will present its findings to the Wright County Attorney’s Office for review.
