WEST ST PAUL, Minn. — Officials have identified the man killed and the officer who fired their weapon following an hours-long standoff last week in West St. Paul.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) says Jerry Va Thao, 42, was armed in a home at the bottom of the basement stairs when Sgt. Sean Marben with the Apple Valley Police Department fired his department-issued firearm and struck Thao. The BCA said officers provided medical aid and Thao was taken to a hospital, where he died.
Marben, who has eight years of law enforcement experience, is a member of the South Metro SWAT team, which responded to the incident. He has been placed on “critical incident leave.”…