Security Guard Who Shot Himself, Blamed Black Gunman Pleads Guilty

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The former St. Catherine University security guard who accidentally shot himself and blamed it on a black gunman has pleaded guilty to falsely reporting a crime.

Brent Ahlers, 25, entered a guilty plea Tuesday in Ramsey County Court. He made no plea deal with the state, and is slated to be sentenced on Dec. 18.

For the misdemeanor, the maximum punishment is 90 days in jail and/or a $1,000 fine.

On Sept. 13, Ahlers reported to police that he was shot on the university campus in St. Paul, prompting a lockdown and a search for a suspect whom he described as a black man in a hoodie.

A day later, Ahlers told investigators that he made the shooter up out of fear he'd lose his job. He then admitted that he shot himself after bringing his gun to campus – something he wasn't supposed to do.

Ahlers was promptly fired from the university, which called his made-up story of the black gunman "deeply troubling."

After Ahlers' confession, leaders in the black community said that the incident was yet another in a long history in which black men are blamed for crimes they didn't commit.