Police: Officers Involved In Shooting To Return To Duty
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minneapolis police announced Friday that the officers involved in the Little Earth residential community shooting, which left one man with a bullet wound in his torso last Monday, have been authorized to return to duty.
After reviewing the investigation, Minneapolis Police Chief Timothy Dolan said the officers involved in the incident acted "appropriately and courageously."
The shooting occurred near the Little Earth residential community, located on the 2400 block of Ogema Place, just before 11:15 p.m. Officers Terry Nutter, Steve Herron, Derek Chauvin, Brandon Brugger and Gwen Gunter responded to the shooting and saw the suspect – 23-year-old Leroy Martinez – running from the scene with a pistol, police said.
The officers took chase, and after repeatedly telling Martinez to drop the gun, an officer shot him in the torso.
Martinez is an Alaskan Native American who was living with relatives nearby. Investigators believe Martinez may have been targeting a fellow resident when the initial shots were fired.
He was charged Tuesday with felony second-degree assault by the Hennepin County Attorney's Office. He faces up to seven years in prison and up to $14,000 in fines if convicted.
He was treated for the bullet wound at the Hennepin County Medical Center.
