St. Paul officer-involved shooting kills suspect

An officer-involved shooting in the area of White Bear Avenue and Old Hudson Road in St. Paul snarled traffic in the area just before 4:30 p.m. Monday During a media briefing, St. Paul police spokesman Paul Paulos said a white man was shot and killed by police.

Paulos said the incident began around 3:20 p.m. when officers received a report of a man "with a possible rifle." An officer who arrived at the scene was told the suspect was seen wearing a bulletproof vest as well.

The man was seen by a cop with a gun and the area was locked down. Nearby homes were cleared out and negotiators and a SWAT team were summoned to the scene. At some point shots rang out, the suspect was hit, and he died on the scene.

St. Paul police released a statement Monday evening providing the department's chronology of events:

At 3:20 p.m. Monday, March 16, Saint Paul police officers were called to 411 White Bear Ave. N. on a report of a white male carrying what appeared to be a rifle.

Officers arrived, the Saint Paul Police Department S.W.A.T. team and negotiators were called to the scene, and contact was made with the suspect.

Investigators are determining exactly what happened before, during, and after the incident, but at some point multiple shots were fired and the suspect was hit. Saint Paul Fire Medics were immediately called to the scene and pronounced the suspect dead.

The officers were not injured.

The suspect is an adult, and investigators are working with the Ramsey County Medical Examiner to confirm his identity.

The officers involved include a 19-year veteran, a 16-year veteran, a 12-year veteran and a five-year veteran of the department. All will be placed on three-day paid administrative leave, which is the policy of the Saint Paul Police Department. Their identities are not being released at this time.

This incident is under investigation and there is currently no other information available. Updates will be made public through the Saint Paul Police Department's Twitter account, @sppdpio.