(Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes) (photo: Wright County)
Wright County Attorney Brian Lutes has announced that he will not be pursuing criminal charges against a Wright County Sheriff’s Deputy who fatally shot a man in an early morning incident in St. Michael in March.
March 2nd, Deputy Austin Feenstra was on patrol in the St. Michael area. The deputy conducted a traffic stop around 4:45 AM on Ivory Avenue Northeast in the City of St. Michael. During that stop the driver and lone occupant reportedly exited his vehicle with a weapon, confronted the deputy and refused to comply with commands. That confrontation resulted in Deputy Feenstra discharging his firearm and striking the 67-year-old man.
Wright County deputies immediately attempted life saving measures until paramedics arrived on scene. Those life saving measures however, were not successful, and the driver was pronounced deceased at the scene.
The deputy initially said he believed the man had a knife, then later identified the weapon he was carrying as a length of pipe.
The incident was investigated by the Minnesota BCA. Wright County Attorney Lutes says based on that information, he believes the deputy had no choice but to use deadly force when the man would not comply with commands, and got within five feet while beginning to lunge in the deputy’s direction.
Lutes indicated in a press release that he carefully considered squad camera footage as well as a lengthy investigation by the BCA’s Force Investigation Unit led by Senior Special Agent Sean Mooney in his decision that no criminal prosecution would be pursued.
Deputy Feenstra has been on paid administrative leave since the incident, which is standard procedure in an officer involved shooting.
