Charges: Man Shot Officers With BB Gun, Tried To Commit 'Suicide By Cop'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 53-year-old St. Paul man faces attempted murder and assault charges after police say he shot at officers with an air rifle in an attempt to get police to kill him.
Robert Scott Wood is charged with second-degree attempted murder and first-degree assault. The charges stem from a two-hour standoff on Jan. 2 after Wood's psychiatrist called police saying that Wood might attempt "suicide by cop."
According to a criminal complaint, when officers got to Wood's home on Lyton Place, his girlfriend said that Woods was armed with several knives and a BB gun.
After repeatedly telling police to go away, Woods began shooting officers with the BB gun. He struck one officer in the face, three inches below his right eye.
The officer, 18-year veteran Michael Talley, received medical attention at the scene.
The complaint states that Wood repeatedly antagonized police, saying things like, "Send in your dog. I will stab him."
When Wood eventually came out of his home without the BB gun, police set a canine officer on him. Woods tried to stab the dog several times, but the knife he wielded was still in its sheath and the dog was unharmed.
Crisis negotiators eventually persuaded Wood to leave his home, and officers arrested him.
While in custody, Wood spoke with investigators, the complaint states.
He told police that the holidays are hard for him, and that he was trying to provoke officers to shoot him. He admitted that what he did was wrong, but said he'd failed to commit suicide too many times in the past to count.
If convicted, Wood faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $30,000 fine. His bail was set at $250,000.