The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has released the identity of the man who lost his life in a use-of-force incident that took place on August 28 in West St. Paul. The man, Jerry Va Thao, 42, of St. Paul, was pronounced dead following an altercation where police responded to a residence on the 1200 block of Ottawa Avenue. The officer who discharged his weapon, Sgt. Sean Marben of the Apple Valley Police Department has been put on critical incident leave, according to a BCA report.
Sgt. Marben, with eight years on the force, is part of the South Metro SWAT Team—a conglomerate of various jurisdictional law enforcement that came together in response to the standoff with Thao. Thao was sought by authorities on multiple felony warrants and had allegedly violated a protective order the day prior. Wanted on felony warrants, efforts to coax him from the basement of the home were met with gunfire aimed at law enforcement, necessitating their continued presence.
During the nearly seven-and-a-half-hour siege, authorities report that Thao fired shots at officers, hitting a ballistic shield and a SWAT vehicle. Despite the deployment of chemical irritants and multiple attempts at negotiation, the situation escalated. It was approximately 6:30 p.m. when Sgt. Marben, stationed atop a SWAT vehicle, observed Thao with a weapon at the base of the basement stairs. Marben then fired his service weapon, striking Thao…