St. Paul police officer will not be charged in January shooting of assault suspect
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Prosecutors said Friday a St. Paul police officer who shot a man while responding to a sexual assault call will not face charges.
According to a memorandum from the Ramsey County Attorney's Office, the man himself admitted to investigators to being a "dumba**" for charging at officer Josh Needham on Jan. 6 and Needham was "completely justified to shoot" him. The attorney's office agreed with that assessment.
Police said officers responded to the 400 block of Thomas Avenue West on a reported sexual assault early that morning. The caller said the assailant had a gun.
While officers were trying to apprehend the man, he charged out of an apartment, which is when Needham shot him in the arm, according to police. The man was hospitalized but survived.
According to the memo from the county attorney's office, Needham thought the man had a knife while charging at him and that he "swung his left fist in a stabbing motion towards me."
"I was a dumba**, I came out yelling, running at them like, he was clearly justified to shoot," the man told authorities. "I would have done the same s*** too. I mean, he felt threatened for his life. He didn't know if I had a gun or not, I just popped out of a f***ing room out of nowhere. I ran out and was holding my cellphone I think."
After reviewing the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's investigation, which included body camera footage, interviews, written statements and other evidence, the county attorney's office found Needham's account of the shooting trustworthy and declined to recommend criminal charges against him.
The attorney's office said the shooting was justified under Minnesota law and satisfied the three elements of the St. Paul Police Department's use of force policy — namely, that the man had both the ability and opportunity to use violence against Needham and his partner and that Needham reasonably believed the man posed "an imminent threat to the life of the officer(s) or others and the officer must act immediately to prevent death or serious bodily injury."
Sexual Assault Resources
- (SOS – Ramsey County)
- Sexual Violence Center (SVC – Hennepin County)
- Aurora Center (U of MN)
- 360 Communities (Dakota County)
- Hope Center (Rice County)
- Canvas Health (Washington County)
- Alexandra House (Anoka County)
General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:
General Sexual Assault Websites: