NORTH BRANCH, Minn. (WCCO) – The Chisago County Attorney’s Office has declared an officer-involved shooting in North Branch last summer to be a justified use of deadly force.
Police responded to the incident, which occurred on July 8, 2012 on the 38000 block of Feaski Circle on a report of a domestic disturbance. When they arrived, police learned a man was inside the residence with a gun and that he fired a shot while they were en route to the scene.
The man, later identified as Robert Elias Aho, was inside the home but his wife, sister and step-daughter had already left the residence. Officers gathered near the garage door, which was open, when the service door to the garage opened and the man emerged carrying a rifle and a shotgun.
Police say Aho confronted officers and ignored repeated instructions to put the weapons down. After he lowered one of the guns and aimed at police, Deputy Steven Gregory Husmann, with the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office, shot him twice.
Aho was treated at the scene and later airlifted to Regions Hospital, where he later died.
The County Attorney said the use of deadly force by Husmann, a nine-year veteran of the Chisago County Sheriff’s Office, was justified. He and the other assisting officers were placed on administrative leave, which is protocol.
