Officers cleared, St. Paul police release video of fatal encounter with Philip Quinn

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Two St. Paul police officers involved in the Sept. 24, 2015 deadly shooting of Philip Quinn have been cleared by a grand jury. As part of an effort to be more transparent and build community trust, the St. Paul Police Department on Thursday released detailed information, 911 calls and dash cam video from the case to give the public a better idea of what happened that evening.

911 calls show the Quinn family and his fiancée called numerous times throughout that day, saying he was acting psychotic and telling people he had died and come back to life.

"He was psychotic,” Quinn’s fiancée, Darleen Tareeq, told Fox 9 after the shooting. “He told me and his cousin that he died in my basement and came back to life.”

There were indications he was suicidal, and the calls even warned police that Quinn could be dangerous. Those calls also reveal that Quinn appeared to have forced his way into a stranger's apartment and was trying to get into others.

Police arrived for a second time to the Canton Street location where he lived and found Quinn armed with a screwdriver. Quinn's mother and an officer were just a few feet away when Quinn lifted his arm and charged. He was ordered to drop the screwdriver, then four gunshots were fired.

“Officer McGuire feared for his safety and the safety of Paulette Quinn,” said Assistant Police Chief Bill Martinez. “We'll never know that for sure, but certainly he feared for her safety as well. He described her as being terrified when he talked to her when he was standing next to the Dodge Durango.”

Police and family have said that Philip Quinn was mentally ill and suicidal. The family had also said he had been trying to get help but there was no bed available for him. Police on Thursday said Quinn was also under the influence of methamphetamine.

This is the first time the St. Paul Police Department offered up in great detail what happened during an officer-involved shooting. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said investigators met with Quinn’s family Thursday morning to deliver the same news and information before it was released to the public. When asked if they would do it again, in the case of Marcus Golden for instance, they said they just didn't know.