ST. PAUL, Minn. (WCCO) – Authorities say an officer is in the hospital and a suspect is dead after an officer-involved shooting in St. Paul late Tuesday night.
The officers, Daniel King, continues to recover from the gunshot wound he suffered in the incident.
The incident started at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday near the 1100 block of Flandrau Avenue in St. Paul. Authorities responded to a report of a home burglary in the area and when they arrived, they spotted the suspect in a parking lost on the 700 block of Payne Avenue near Minnehaha Avenue.
Police say the man was suspected of taking a shotgun and compound bow with arrows from the residence.
As a squad car drove into the parking lot, the suspect opened fire on police, hitting King and the cop car, police say. Officers returned fire, hitting the suspect and killing him at the scene. King was transported to Regions Hospital and is in stable condition.
St. Paul Police Chief Thomas Smith said he went to visit King Wednesday morning. King was conscious and talking, but in a lot of pain. It’s not clear how many times he was shot.
King has been a veteran of the force for 11 years. Another officer involved in the incident, Brian Wanschura, is a four-year veteran.
The shooting suspect was later identified as Chue Xiong, 22, of St. Paul. Police say he raised a shotgun and fired at officers during the incident.
There was another officer-involved shooting in St. Paul earlier on Tuesday, but police said the two don’t appear to be related.
St. Paul Police Federation released this statement in regards to the two shootings:
The past 24 hours have been a perilous time with two separate officer involved shootings. It is a stark reminder of the dangers Saint Paul Police Officers and officers throughout Minnesota face each and everyday.
The two incidents prompted quick and decisive actions by these officers during extremely dangerous situations. The use of deadly force is never an easy decision, nor a decision officers take lightly. Our officers acted professionally and in accordance with their training to best protect our community.
The results of these dangerous encounters can leave a mark on each of these officers’ psyches and cause long lasting physical injury. We ask that the citizens of Saint Paul join the entire Saint Paul Police Federation in sending thoughts and prayers to these officers and their families during this difficult time.
Both incidents are under investigation.
