Officers shoot chainsaw-wielding man, police say

By WCCO Staff, Beret Leone

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — Police in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, say officers shot a man wielding a chainsaw overnight Thursday amid a domestic disturbance call that led to a standoff.

It happened just east of Brooklyn Boulevard on the 3200 block of 63rd Avenue North, according to police, after officers were called to the scene Wednesday at about 10:30 p.m. on a report of someone inside a residence “armed with knives.”

Police say crisis negotiators were called in to assist before officers told the suspect he was going to be arrested. Police say the man then walked out of the home with a chainsaw.

“While trying to arrest and control the male, officers used pepper balls, 40 mm less lethal, and ultimately Brooklyn Center Police Officers discharged their firearms striking the male,” police said in a statement released early Thursday.

Police say the man was taken to an area hospital and is in stable condition.

The officers involved are now on critical incident leave as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigates. Police say “multiple area police agencies” assisted them at the scene.

Neighbor Tyler Ferguson told WCCO he witnessed the violent encounter.

“I guess it like escalated. I went back inside, then came back out after I heard the first round of shots, and then right after that there was like 18 shots,” Ferguson said. “He came after the police with a chainsaw and yeah, they shot him down.”

Ferguson said he was unable to discern between the sound of gunfire and that of pepper ball rounds.

This shooting comes less than two days after law enforcement fired weapons in a fatal incident in Albert Lea. It’s still unclear how the man died, but the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office says investigators later found a dead woman on the property nearby.

There were also two shooting deaths late last month in the Twin Cities involving members of law enforcement. On May 20, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office says its deputies rescued a woman from a Hastings home amid a standoff that ended with a man fatally shooting himself.

Just hours later, police in Coon Rapids shot and killed a man after being called to a home on a report of a woman who said she had been attacked with a knife.

There were also two shooting deaths late last month in the Twin Cities involving members of law enforcement. On May 20, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office says its deputies rescued a woman from a Hastings home amid a standoff that ended with a man fatally shooting himself.

Just hours later, police in Coon Rapids shot and killed a man after being called to a home on a report of a woman who said she had been attacked with a knife.

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If you or someone you know needs help, you can contact the National Domestic Violence Helpline at 1-800-799-SAFE or Minnesota Day One at 1-866-223-1111.

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.

In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.

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