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Man Shoots At Officers In St. Paul Park Standoff

August 2, 2011 6:15 PM
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(credit: CBS)

Reporting Esme Murphy

Filed under
Crime, Local, News, Syndicated Local, Watch + Listen
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ST. PAUL PARK, Minn. (WCCO) – Police were involved in a standoff with an armed man in St. Paul Park Tuesday morning — a situation that a Twin Cities sheriff said is a “miracle” that officers weren’t hurt.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began at about 1:30 a.m. after a 22-year-old man was reported to be walking on the train tracks near Pullman and 9th Avenue. Police said he was intoxicated.

Washington Co. Sheriff Bill Hutton said he is grateful that his officers were not injured. The standoff happened in St. Paul Park, where terrified neighbors were ordered to their basements and some were evacuated as the gunman refused to surrender and began firing at officers.

“The Washington County Strike Force came to my door, plus the Washington County Sheriff called my cell phone saying we had to go downstairs and be away from windows,” said Kristen Newton, a nearby neighbor.

A special response team was brought in after the man went into a house, reportedly with loaded weapons. A man and two women were in the home when the standoff started, but they were able to escape from the home.

The sheriff’s department said the man shot at police with a rifle and a shotgun, firing multiple times at officers. Neighbors say after tear gas was thrown into the house the man came out but refused to surrender. That’s when officers shot him.

“I thought it was fireworks at first and then I heard, “Pop, pop, pop” and I thought, ‘Uh oh,’” said Melinda Joyce, another neighbor.

The standoff ended at 6:30 a.m with no officers being harmed. The man was taken to Regions Hospital.

A woman inside the house was arrested but it is not clear if she remains in custody. The BCA is handling the case but are not releasing the man’s name at this time. Charges are expected on Wednesday.

View Comments
  • MLL

    I thought I was dreaming when I woke up to gun shots this morning. My husband can hear the police over the loudspeaker negotiating with the man still. I hope all of the officers are okay.

    • Real Talk

      I hope all the citizens are okay!! The police volunteered and get paid to find harm and jump in it’s way. Let those cards fall where they may.

  • http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/08/02/standoff-in-st-paul-park/ Standoff In St. Paul Park « CBS Minnesota

    [...] [WCCO: Crime] Share this No comments // [...]

  • another moron

    dead man walking …. ’nuff said

    • Ashley Hashbrowns Bormann

      thats my ex your talking you have no idea what he has been through!!!

      • What a joke

        Too bad they didn’t kill him!!

  • The Architect

    I drive past that area every day, and didn’t see a thing as far as police or emergency personnel. Must be a neighborhood a few blocks off 61 and out of view.

  • Citizen

    There are 2 sets of tracks and the ones by 9th and Pullman are closer to the river, not along Hwy 61.

  • one less

    bang bang – we shot him dead
    bang bang – the perp just hit the ground

  • Reasonable

    And you’re trying to instigate said replies because
    A.) You enjoy them
    B.) You just don’t want to be the one to get the ball rolling
    C.) You feel some moral superiority that is now bottled up because you can’t pour your sage wisdom upon those that disagree with you

    • The Architect

      @Reasonable

      Well played! Spot on.

    • hunnybear18

      Yeah, ever notice that the first one on these boards to bring up race is always the one calling everyone else a racist. I always wonder how some people type with such chips on their shoulders.

    • DW

      the next time you read an article about a shooting in Minneapolis, make it a point to read the comments and then get back to me. Oh, but you’re probably the one posting such comments

      • hunnybear18

        And I suppose if it happened every day or every other day in St. Paul Park I suppose it would start going that way too.

        • DW

          Minneapolis has 10 times the population of St Paul Park. And if you are unaware, the majority population of Minneapolis is still white. The media has you and most of the other people that comment on these articles bamboozled into thinking that everyone in the city is commiting crimes. The reality is, a very small percentage of the people commit most of the crimes, so why make blanket statements about an entire race, because of a few idiots?

          • hunnybear18

            Most of the shootings are perpetrated by gang members, and remain unsolved thanks to the stop-snitching movement. The cycle repeats and repeats. These aren’t your regular working class Minneapolis homeowner. What are you doing about that instead of whining off-topic on this story, which is about an intoxicated man who almost committed suicide by cop? I suppose a person that recognizes that most rapists are male is also a sexist?

            • me

              Come on now, DW can’t be bothered with the facts. It makes his racist accusations less credible. Keep it real DW!!!

              • DW

                you’re ridiculous

  • The Architect

    Alcohol is perfectly safe. What we need to do is keep prosecuting people for smoking pot. Afterall, people become crazy after smoking weed, right?

  • justaxnspend

    Second time in about two weeks a armed person barricaded in a house shooting.
    First time was due to “Bath Salts” being used as drug. I wonder if this is
    from same thing?

    • The Architect

      Where did you hear of a man barricading himself in a house shooting due to “bath salts?”

  • justaxnspend

    The 18 year old person shooting was my grandson. He is now in the Psych
    ward under sucide watch. He broke into his parents unoccupied Cottage
    Grove home and armed himself against “Aliens”. He was high on Bath Salts.
    This is the second time he has been hospitalized due to drug overdose from
    bath salts. The salts are now outlawed in MN, but can be bought easily “on line”

    • The Architect

      Why would bath salts be made illegal in MN? Stupid people ingest all sorts of things to try and catch a buzz. Some people are predisposed to want to do that, and some aren’t. But to legislate all of us based on what the morons are going to do is assinine.

    • Uh right

      If your grandson is in the hospital, what the heck are you doing reading WCCO?

      • The Architect

        The story of the deranged and dopified doofus of a teenager barricading himself in his parents’ home was at least 2-3 weeks ago.

      • ya know

        If my grandson was in the hospital for being an idiot, I wouldn’t visit him at all.
        You can’t fix stupid.

    • Reasonable

      Your 18 year old grandson is 22 years old according to news reports.

  • Reasonable

    “bath salts” aren’t the bath salts you get at Bed Bath and Beyond, they’re designer hallucinogens more potent than your average square of Orange Sunshine.
    Now, if the person above really is related, my condolences for having a troubled person in your family. Hopefully the kid will get some real mental help as “bath salts” only serve to exaggerate and aggitate existing conditions.

    • The Architect

      “they’re designer hallucinogens more potent than your average square of Orange Sunshine.”

      Oh I don’t know about that… I had some killer Orange Sunshine back in the mid 90s. I don’t think a 5lb bag of bath salts will equal that stuff.

      By the way, the bath salts aren’t actually bath salts at all, in any way? Is that what you’re saying? So you can’t toss them in your bath tub for some aromatherapy then or what?

  • The Architect

    How dumb is this article?

    The guy was shot at 6am and WCCO has no update at all.

    Just like yesterday when WCCO reported all day that the Whipple building was loaded with dynamite.

    Go to Kare11 for accurate news. Unbelievable.

    • MLL

      Agreed… on my way to work this morning at 7 am I passed the 5 eyewitness news van already on the scene in St Paul Park with cameras set up.

  • Barb Gorr

    too close for comfort for me and my family

  • tom

    So the guy is walking down the tracks intoxicated, other than being on railroad property taking a shortcut home from the bar without driving drunk I see know reason for the police to have initiated any contact with this person., Doesn’t sound like he was doing anything wrong until the police showed up.

    • What a joke

      and that is why your a moron tom!

    • Vince

      Tom, do you think it’s possible the police got called by someone? He was suicidal. Police get called by family and friends of suicidal individuals all the time. Many suicidal folks have been “saved” by the responding police. He wasn’t in trouble for walking on the tracks or being intoxicated. The police responded to help him at the request of a loved one. I’m simply amazed by some of the postings on these news websites…….lots of jumping to conclusions without any facts or any understanding of police procedures…….Are there any other sorts of 911 calls the police should just decide to ignore, in your opinion?

  • MKIA

    How is the Washington County Sheriff able to call someones cell phone?
    Friend, acquaintance, etc.

  • http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2011/08/02/man-shoots-at-officers-in-st-paul-park-standoff-2/ Man Shoots At Officers In St. Paul Park Standoff « CBS Minnesota

    [...] [check out the report] Share this No comments // [...]

  • kegHead

    Is this St. Louis north?

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