Police release footage of fatal St. Paul shooting
Footage from St. Paul police shows officers fatally shoot an armed suspect. (Supplied)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) released footage showing officers fatally shooting an armed murder suspect.
READ MORE: Neighbors recall St. Paul police shooting that left a man dead
Footage released
St. Paul police released footage from multiple angles showing officers close in on Mychel Stowers, who was riding a bike right before the shooting.
The shooting happened just around 1:45 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9, near the intersection of Watson Avenue and Bay Street.
READ MORE: MN man shot pregnant ex-wife months after being released from prison: charges
The footage shows an officer firing through the squad vehicle window with a rifle.
Another officer fired a handgun at Stowers after he hit the ground.
Still frames in the video, provided by SPPD, show Stowers holding a weapon.
A bystander in the video was near Stowers when he was shot. That bystander appeared to freeze as officers opened fire and moved in.
Police provided a link to footage of the shooting that can be viewed here.
What they're saying
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry released the following statement on Friday afternoon:
"We are committed to the sanctity of the independent investigation; we are also committed to the transparency of our actions. That’s why we are releasing the body-worn camera (BWC) and in car camera footage from this incident. No one wants apprehensions to result in the use of force of any kind. Not using force is always our goal—and is the outcome of the majority of our officers’ interactions. We grieve with the families impacted, our community, and our officers. We hope that with working together as a community, we can prevent these outcomes in the future."
Shooting background
The BCA says Stowers was being sought in connection with the killing of his pregnant ex-wife in St. Paul. Police were acting on a tip that he was at a business on the 1100 block of West Seventh Street when they encountered a man who matched his description.
According to the BCA's preliminary investigation, a man left the business on a bike and multiple squads converged on him as he reached the intersection of Watson Avenue and Bay Street. Before police could confirm his identity, the man — now identified as Stowers — pulled out a handgun and pointed it at police.
Stowers was taken via ambulance to Regions Hospital, where he died.
No one else was injured in the incident.