Deputy fatally shot man in St. Michael as he approached with metal pipe, BCA says
ST. MICHAEL, Minn. — Before a Wright County deputy fatally shot a man in St. Michael last weekend, the man pulled a length of pipe out of his waistband, which the deputy mistook for a knife, according to investigators.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the killing, released the identities of the deputy and the decedent on Friday. Wright County Deputy Austin Feenstra fatally shot 67-year-old Jeffrey Chapman on March 2, according to the BCA.
Feenstra pulled Chapman over in St. Michael around 4:45 a.m. that day due to "erratic driving, including weaving and slowing down then accelerating suddenly," the BCA said.
Chapman allegedly got out of his car and walked toward Feenstra. While Feenstra backed away and issued "verbal commands," Chapman pulled a 9-inch metal pipe from his waistband, the BCA said. That's when Feenstra shot Chapman multiple times. Chapman died at the scene.
Feenstra originally said over radio that Chapman had a knife, but after the shooting, he saw that it was a pipe, the BCA said.
"A folding knife was later found in Chapman's car but was not involved in this incident," the BCA said.
There is no body camera footage, per the BCA, because the Wright County Sheriff's Office does not use body cameras. Feenstra's squad car camera only captured part of the confrontation.
The BCA is still investigating. Feenstra is on administrative leave.
St. Michael is located about 30 miles northwest of Minneapolis.
Note: The video above originally aired March 2, 2024.