Officer Shoots Knife-Wielding Man in Walker, Minn.

Aug 9

A Walker police officer shot a man armed with a knife Friday evening after a foot chase ended inside a Dollar General store.

Police say the incident began around 6:40 p.m. on Aug. 8, when a resident flagged down an officer to report a man wearing only boxer shorts and acting erratically.

At the same time, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office dispatch center received a 911 call reporting the same man outside a business on Minnesota Avenue with a knife. Callers at the nearby Super One grocery store said several vehicles in the parking lot had their tires slashed, apparently by the same male suspect.

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The responding officer found the man and chased him on foot toward the Dollar General near the intersection of State Highway 34 and State Highway 200. Inside the store, police say the man threatened to kill all employees, sprayed bug spray and threw items at the officer. The officer repeatedly ordered him to drop the knife before the man charged toward him, prompting the officer to fire once, hitting the man in the left arm.

Officers gave medical aid until North Ambulance arrived and applied a tourniquet to the man’s arm. He was taken to Sanford Hospital in Bemidji, and police say the injury is not believed to be life-threatening.

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The officer was wearing an activated body camera during the incident. He has been placed on critical incident leave, which is standard procedure. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is leading the investigation and will release the names of the officer and the man at a later date.

Assisting agencies included the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Leech Lake Police Department, Pine River Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office and North Ambulance.

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