Saint Paul police release bodycam of officer fatally shooting a woman who pointed a gun at police
By: The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has released the identities of the three officers who fatally shot a woman in St. Paul earlier this week. Body camera footage has also been released.
According to police, officers responded to reports of a suicide in progress in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood around 7:15 p.m. Monday. When they arrived, a woman inside a home on Rose Avenue East pointed a handgun at officers, and they shot her, according to police. She died at the scene.
Officials say the 41-year-old woman died from multiple gunshot wounds.
The BCA said the three St. Paul police officers, who all fired their weapons, are now on critical incident leave. They're identified as officers Chiking Chazonkhueze, Chee Lao and Yengkong Lor.
Chazonkhueze and Lor have several years of law enforcement experience. Lao has three months of law enforcement experience.
St. Paul police requested the BCA to investigate the officers' use of force.
According to the BCA, the woman's mother called officers to the back room of the home when they arrived. The woman was there sitting on the floor and officers asked her if she needed help.
The woman then "rapidly reached under a blanket" to grab a handgun, stood up and pointed it at the officers, the BCA said. The three officers fired their handguns, striking her multiple times. The officers then attempted life-saving care, but she died at the scene.
A handgun and cartridge casings were recovered on the scene.