Victim, Officers Involved In Crystal Park Shooting Identified
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has identified the victim and the officers involved in Wednesday morning's shooting at a Crystal park.
The victim, 18-year-old Khaleel Thompson, was shot multiple times by four Crystal police officers at the Bassett Creek Park mini golf course just before 9 a.m.
Police say a resident of a nearby apartment building called 911 after seeing a man walking around the park with a handgun.
Police Chief Stephanie Revering told the media Wednesday that Thompson ignored repeated demands from officers to drop his weapon, later identified as a handgun-style, air-powered BB gun.
"Our officers, believing they were in imminent danger, discharged their firearms toward the suspect and then immediately provided first aid," Revering said.
The four officers involved in the shooting, who were not injured, are on standard paid-administrative leave:
The DPS says Thompson raised his weapon at the officers, and Barland first fired "non-lethal rounds" at him.
They say Thompson continued to point the BB gun at officers before the other three opened fire on him.
Thompson was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale. The extent of his injuries has not been released.
Black Lives Matter St. Paul took to Facebook Thursday to address the shooting, saying officers shot Thompson 18 times.
"We wondered why we didn't hear the sounds of non-police guns discharging. Now we know … because it was not a real gun," said BLM on Facebook. "MN is an open carry state. There is NO justification for this."
Black Lives Matter protesters say they plan to gather Thursday at North Memorial to show support to Thompson's family, as well as at the Wellstone Center in St. Paul.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting, and are reviewing dashcam footage captured at the scene. None of the officers were wearing body cameras.
