MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – It’s been almost two weeks since an officer-involved shooting left one man dead and two police officers with gunshot wounds in a south Minneapolis basement. Recently, Chief Janee Harteau has faced criticism for releasing few details about the case.
Of the five officers involved, sources say three gave statements within 72 hours of the shooting. Police say the two who were shot will give statements by the end of this week.
“Part of the reason they wait is because they want to get everything right,” said Dr. Dennis Conroy, a retired St. Paul sergeant and psychologist. “What we find is that immediately afterwards, their brain has been so overloaded. It’s like trying to pour things too fast through a funnel. It takes time to process them, sort through them and make sense out of them.”
The police department said it’s still waiting for the final officer statements, ballistic reports and DNA evidence analysis – something that takes four-to-eight weeks in the state crime lab.
In the May 10 shooting, Terrance Franklin, a burglary suspect, was shot and killed.
Minneapolis Police Union Chief John Delmonico said officers have the same rights in an investigation, but are held to a different standard.
“[Police officers] are watched much more closely,” he said.
So far, only anonymous sources have said an officer’s weapon was involved in the shooting.
“I want the truth to come out and it should come out as soon as possible, but it’s got to be the facts,” Delmonico said.
A police spokeswoman says she expects the investigation to wrap up in the next three to five weeks. From there it will head to the county attorney, which could take another several weeks.
At that point, they’ll either charge the officers, which could lead to a trial, or they’ll decline the charges. If that happened, then the information would become public.
