ME: Man Who Exchanged Gunfire With Eden Valley Police Shot Self In Head

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Authorities say the man who died Saturday morning following an exchange of gunfire with police in central Minnesota fatally shot himself in the head.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office identified the man as 34-year-old Stephen Poissant of Brainerd. His cause of death was listed as a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

According to the Meeker County Sheriff's Office, Poissant exchanged gunfire with an Eden Valley police officer after an attempted traffic stop on Highway 55.

The officer pursued Poissant for about a mile before Poissant stopped in a ditch. Poissant got out of the car and fired at the officer, the sheriff's office says.

The officer, Evan Borscheid, fired back, grazing Poissant in the knee, BCA investigators say. After the shooting, attempted to provide aid to Poissant, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Poissant's sisters, Amanda Lee and Katrina Poissant, shared a statement with WCCO, saying in part: "We only know the details that have been on the news and what law enforcement told us. This is very hard for our family."

While Eden Valley police officers don't wear body cameras, the shooting was captured on squad camera.

The BCA, the highest law enforcement office in the state, is investigating the shooting. Its findings will be forwarded to the Meeker County Sheriff's Office for review.

Borscheid, a five-year veteran of the police force, was not hurt in the shooting. He is on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure following a police shooting.

Below is the full statement Poissant's sisters shared with WCCO:

"We are all still trying to digest the news of Stephen passing. The family that has been left behind are his parents, two sisters, three nephews and four nieces.

We are all in our own ways trying to even process this right now. We have seen many different comments on articles and we would like to just tell you who Stephen really was. He was a grandson, a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin and a friend to everyone who actually gave him a chance. He may have seemed like a scary guy at 6'4" and covered in tattoos! The thing about tattoos is the nicest, most caring people may be covered in tattoos but you would never know if you judge.

He was the best brother, the one who was there always! If you needed him, he would drop everything for his family and he was there. Being his sister, I've seen people judge him instantly for his stature and tattoos but when one of his nieces or nephews was excited to see him and would go running up to him, he would get down and scoop them up in his arms. He was always joking around and when he was spending time with family and friends, he had the best smile that never left his face. One day he spent hours at my house helping my son put together a basketball hoop, it took hours because every time I would go outside, they were screwing around and laughing having a great time. That is the guy I want to remember and the guy I wish the whole world knew. I know you are going to hear lots of different things about him because of how he died. Some may be true, some may not. I know we have already come across a bunch of things and it's all just too much. Comments coming from people who didn't even know him!

We want people to know the man we knew. The man we lost and the man that we are trying to mourn right now. The man that we are trying to figure out how to no longer have in our lives. We do understand that this was a police involved shooting but can we focus on the part of our hearts that is now lost and not all the negativity please. As his family, that is what we ask. His oldest nephew is 17 and the youngest is 6 and he had a special bond with each one of his nieces and nephews. He was the most honest person you would ever meet and one of the people I trusted most in this world. No parent should have to bury their child and no sister should have to bury their 34-year-old brother. That is not how this world is supposed to work. However, that is the hand we were dealt so we are all navigating and trying to deal with this the best we can."