By Crime Watch MN
WOODBURY, Minn. – A man was injured in an officer-involved shooting in Woodbury, Minn., Monday morning following a standoff in which the suspect was reported to be armed and had barricaded himself in a vehicle.
The activity began just before 9:30 a.m. when police were alerted to a vehicle with a stolen license plate in the parking lot near Target at 7200 Valley Creek Plaza. The vehicle was also reportedly connected to prior credit card fraud, according to dispatch audio.
Squads approached the vehicle, which was confirmed to be unoccupied. Officers made a plan to box in the vehicle to impede it from eventually fleeing.
Within a few minutes, police aired that they were making contact with a male and that a fight had ensued. An officer aired that the male had a gun and requested armor and on-duty SWAT personnel to respond.
Dispatches indicated that the male had retreated inside the vehicle just after 9:30 a.m., and a standoff ensued. The Target store was contacted, and occupants were ordered to shelter in place.
Police moved communications for the incident to an encrypted police channel about 10 a.m., but a recap was aired that indicated that officers had disengaged contact with the white male suspect after the male grabbed a firearm from the driver’s door during the initial struggle.
Woodbury police later issued a statement about the incident that included an aerial image of the suspect pointing a gun:
“At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Monday, April 22, officers from the Woodbury Police Department and the Washington County SWAT team were involved in a shooting in a Woodbury retail area. An adult male suspect, approximately 50 years old, was transported to Regions Hospital with gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment. One Woodbury police officer and one Washington County deputy involved have been placed on standard administrative leave.
Officers were alerted to a vehicle with stolen license plates in a retail parking lot off Valley Creek Road in Woodbury. When they arrived, the vehicle was unoccupied. While officers were investigating, the suspect returned to the vehicle and fought with the officers when they attempted to arrest him. The officers saw the suspect had a handgun and disengaged. Then, the suspect barricaded himself into the vehicle. Officers called for the SWAT team, attempted to negotiate, and deployed less than lethal options with the suspect for an extended period of time, but he would not comply. He later exited the vehicle, brandished a handgun, and pointed it in the direction of responding officers, who then fired.
All body/dash camera footage and camera data will be handled by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension who will lead the investigation of the officer-involved shooting. Woodbury Police is investigating the original crime.”
General Counsel Imran Ali released the following statement on behalf of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association following the incident:
“As a former Washington County Prosecutor, this hit too close to home. While no officer was shot, this could have ended much differently. All over Minnesota, we continue to see a disturbing trend of violence directed at law enforcement. Right now, our women and men need more than thoughts and prayers. It is crucial for leaders to condemn violence against law enforcement and stand in solidarity with officers who put their lives on the line to protect their communities.”
More details are expected to be released as the investigation unfolds.
Alpha News will continue to follow developments in this story.
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
This article originally appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
