Officer Shot With Arrow In Sauk Centre, Suspect In Custody
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Stearns County Sheriff's deputy is recovering after being shot by a stolen bow and arrow during a standoff Thursday morning in Sauk Centre.
Sheriff Don Gudmundson identified the deputy shot by the arrow as Deputy Paul Orvis, a 17-year veteran of the department. He says Deputy Orvis is in good spirits, and he says the entire incident ended as well as it could have.
It began Thursday morning in Osakis, where deputies say the suspect -- a 31-year-old man -- stole a black pickup truck and began driving towards Sauk Centre.
Once in town, he drove into parked cars through backyards and eventually into a garage on 10th Street. He then ran into the home. Neighbors and a nearby school were evacuated.
"Went out for a run and when I came back about 45 minutes later, there was a whole bunch of cop cars," said neighbor Ryan Ebnet. "I walked up and asked if I could get back in my house, and they said, 'No, there was an active shooter in the area.'"
When officers went into the home, they say the suspect appeared from the second floor with a compound bow. He then shot Deputy Orvis in the forearm with a target arrow.
Officers returned fire, hitting the man in the shoulder, hand and buttocks. After a two-hour standoff, they used an electroshock weapon to finally subdue him, and then took him into custody. He was brought to the St. Cloud Hospital.
Sheriff Gudmundson says Deputy Orvis will also need surgery.
"It's fortunate that he … was shot with a target arrow and not essentially a hunting arrow," Gudmundson said.
Deputy Orvis has a broken arm and will need surgery to remove part of the arrow, but is expected to make a full recovery. Neighbors were also counting their blessings as they returned to their homes Thursday afternoon.
"It is scary, yeah, because, you know, I could've been home, and you never know what could happen," said neighbor Stephanie Sommars.
Both the sheriff's department and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension are investigating what happened, and why the suspect stole the vehicle in the first place.
