Brooklyn Park officer who shot man during baby's death investigation returns to active duty
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. — The Brooklyn Park police officer who shot a man during an investigation into a baby's death in June is back on active duty, and police have released the body camera video of the incident.
According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Momodou Dibba fired his department handgun early in the morning of June 23 after officers responded to a report of a 7-month-old infant who was not breathing.
The baby's father, a 24-year-old man, appeared distraught after learning of his son's death, police said. The body camera video the department released on Thursday shows officers following a family member to a bedroom, where the father had locked himself in and hidden in a closet.
According to the video, the family member walks towards the closet and says "he's got a gun in here, I'm trying to keep him from ..." at which point officers push the family member aside and yell "drop the gun." In the video, police drew a circle around what appears to be a gun. Dibba then fires four times.
The bureau said the man was taken to the hospital. He was in stable condition as of June 26, police said.
Shortly after the shooting, Brooklyn Park police conducted an internal investigation, which included a review of body camera video. The investigation was presented to an administrative panel who found that Dibba did not violate any department policies regarding the use of deadly force. The panel then recommended Dibba be returned to full duty, city officials say.
Brooklyn Park's Chief's Multi-cultural Advisory Team — which consists of community members — also viewed the video and agreed that no department policies were violated.
Dibba was placed back on full active duty on Aug. 22. The bureau and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office are conducting an ongoing independent criminal investigation.
--
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
