St. Paul police have released body camera footage showing the moment officers opened fire on a man suspected of two shootings in Minneapolis that left three people dead.
E arl Bennett , 40, was hospitalized after being shot by police in St. Paul ‘s Midway area on Oct. 28. He has been charged with a Minneapolis encampment shooting the day prior that killed three people, and another shooting in Minneapolis that left a man critically injured.
On Tuesday, St. Paul Police Department released excerpts of body-worn camera footage on Tuesday that captured the moments officers found and shot Bennett.
Officers were called to the 400 block of Pierce Street around 7:45 p.m. on a report of shots fired nearby, and arrived to find Bennett armed with a handgun near Snelling and Charles Avenues. Bystanders can be heard before officers arrive, trying to reason with Bennett not to shoot.
When officers confronted Bennett, he pointed the gun at his head and began to walk south on Snelling Avenue. Officers tried to de-escalate the situation, with an officer heard in one of the videos saying, “We’re here to help you,” repeating multiple times for him to “get on the ground.”