Atty's Office: Officer's Use Of Force Justified In Fatal Stillwater Shooting
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Washington County Attorney's Office is declining to issue charges in a fatal officer-involved shooting last November.
On Thursday, the attorney's office said it found that the Stillwater police officer was justified in using deadly force against Keaton Larson on Nov. 21, 2018.
It was determined that under the totality of circumstances, the officer reasonably feared death or great bodily harm would result if he did not use deadly force.
Larson, 22, was reportedly suffering a mental health crisis in Stillwater when police responded to the call about a suicidal male. Larson was armed with a knife when officers encountered him, and attempts to use a Taser were unsuccessful. Officers then shot Larson.
In its memorandum to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the attorney's office said the only reasonable conclusion to be drawn from the set of facts is that the officer fired on Larson in self-defense and within his rights.
"While the death of an individual by deadly force is never to be taken lightly, there is no question that the actions of the Stillwater Police Officer in this matter were wholly justified," County Attorney Pete Orput said. "We also cannot forget that each of the officers involved in this incident have been deeply affected by the need to take a human life."
