Suspect Charged After Minneapolis Park Cop Hurt in Gun Struggle

Aug 17

A Minneapolis man has been charged after authorities say he fought with a Park Police officer at Mueller Park earlier this week.

During the struggle, he allegedly grabbed the officer’s gun and fired a shot while it was still in its holster, leaving the officer with non-life-threatening injuries.

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According to a criminal complaint, 28-year-old Tazrick Tobias Nall is facing felony counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and disarming a peace officer for the incident on Tuesday, Aug. 12.

Minneapolis Park Police were called to the park after reports that a man was inappropriately touching children. An officer located Nall in a nearby alley, but he refused to comply with commands and resisted attempts to detain him. The complaint states the struggle became physical and both Nall and the officer fell to the ground.

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The officer deployed his taser, but investigators say Nall was not affected. Witnesses and another responding officer reported seeing Nall grab the officer’s holstered firearm. During the struggle, Nall managed to get his finger into the trigger guard and discharge the weapon while it remained secured in the holster.

Additional officers arrived and were eventually able to take Nall into custody after what authorities described as continued resistance.

In a post-Miranda interview, Nall admitted wrestling with the officer and grabbing his gun. He told investigators he wanted to fire a warning shot because he was upset at being tased. He later said he thought the officer “did not deserve a pistol” and that he intended to “f*** his life up,” according to the complaint. Prosecutors wrote that Nall gestured as if firing a gun while making those statements.

Nall remains in custody on $75,000 bail with conditions prohibiting him from possessing weapons. If convicted, he faces up to seven years on the assault charge, along with up to five years on the disarming charge.

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