World News | St. Paul Police Chief: Officer Shouldn't Have Shot Black Man
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. A St Paul officer who shot and wounded a Black man who emerged naked from a dumpster while being sought in connection with a sexual assault failed to measure up to department standards, the city's police chief said.
St Paul, Dec 2 (AP) A St Paul officer who shot and wounded a Black man who emerged naked from a dumpster while being sought in connection with a sexual assault failed to measure up to department standards, the city's police chief said.
Chief Todd Axtell said Tuesday at a news conference where he released police bodycam video of the confrontation that he'd taken “swift, decisive and serious action” against the officer, identified by state investigators as Officer Anthony Dean.
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Axtell said state law precludes him from releasing details of the action. The Minneapolis Star Tribune and St. Paul Pioneer Press, citing law enforcement sources they did not identify, reported that the officer was fired following Saturday night's shooting of Joseph Javonte Washington.
“When I asked myself if the officer's actions on Saturday night were reasonable and necessary,” Axtell said, “the only answer I could come up with is “No.” St. Paul Police Federation President Paul Kuntz defended the officers involved, saying they were trying to apprehend “a violent and dangerous felon."
“The officers worked to arrest the man using many de-escalation techniques,” Kuntz said in a statement before Axtell's news conference. “This was a difficult situation for everyone involved.” The union declined to confirm whether Dean had been fired. The officer's race wasn't immediately known.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the shooting, said Dean shot Washington, who had no weapons or other possessions when he emerged from the dumpster behind a funeral home. Washington, 31, of Lakeville, is recovering at Regions Hospital.
In the body camera footage, a female officer attempts to coax Washington out of the dumpster and onto the ground. He gets out and an officer shouts “Don't run!” before shots are fired. Washington is bitten by a police K-9 and then screams for the dog to get off him. It wasn't known whether Washington had a lawyer who could comment on his behalf. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)