'Pieces of bullets in rooms': 100 rounds fired by suspect who shot Roseville police officer

Roseville police officer shot, suspect dies at hospital

A Roseville police officer was injured after shots were fired Tuesday evening at a home near Lake Owasso, according to Roseville Police. The man who shot at police, a 43-year-old from Roseville, was also injured and later died at the hospital.

ROSEVILLE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Residents along West Owasso Boulevard in Roseville were still in disbelief Wednesday as they recounted a tense hour on Tuesday evening, when one of their neighbors fired about 100 rounds at their homes, their cars and then at the responding officers, seriously injuring one of them.

"I’m just shocked! It’s not something you plan for our think would ever happen," Jenna Jahnke told FOX 9 as she stood in her front yard, looking at the eight visible bullet holes that scarred the front.

"Yeah, just through the windows and the walls," Jahnke said. "Like we found some pieces of bullets in rooms and it’s… yeah, shocking."

Roseville shooting scene update

Neighbors say the neighbor that fired at police officers Tuesday night before being killed had police visit him previously due to mental health issues.

She and her husband were out, but a babysitter was home with her young children, taking shelter after they began hearing the bullets hit the home.

Another neighbor, Kyle McDonald, said his two vehicles were hit at least 15 times, and his home a handful. The shots were apparently targeted, as tires and a tail light were shot out, a grill emblem hit three times and his home’s front light fixture taking several rounds.

"It’s been kind of a tough day for me," McDonald said. "Probably tougher today than even last night, just realizing all the neighbors houses were shot at. Close calls."

Roseville Police began getting 911 calls around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday from scared neighbors. One reported seeing the suspect holding a scoped rifle, though police could not confirm the weapon, citing the active investigation.

Residents along West Owasso Boulevard in Roseville were still in disbelief Wednesday as they recounted a tense hour on Tuesday evening when one of their neighbors fired about 100 rounds at their homes, cars and responding officers.

"When our officers arrived in the area, they immediately came under fire with continuous rifle rounds being fired at the officers and the squad cars," Chief Erika Scheider said, and that officers couldn’t see where the shots were coming from because the suspect was hiding in the heavily wooded yards.

Within minutes, a Roseville officer was hit in the face. Dragged to safety by other officers, he was taken to a hospital where he was in stable condition.

The gunshots continued sporadically for an hour, hitting more homes and squad cars, when at 8:34 p.m., the suspect was found in a nearby yard.

"A Roseville officer returned fire," Scheider said, "and the suspect sustained a significant injury to his groin area." He died a short time later at a hospital.

Scheider said the suspect is a 53-year-old white male, but at this point are not releasing his name. She did say they’d had multiple mental health calls to his home, but could not give details.

She also would not get into a motive, saying it’s too early in the investigation.

Neighbors didn’t know, either. They didn’t know the man at all, but did know police had been there in the past.

"I think it was random," said Jahnke. "I have no idea."