Owatonna suspect shoots at police before non-fatally shooting self in hourslong standoff

OWATONNA — The suspect in a Wednesday night shooting that led to an hourslong standoff on McKinley Street in Owatonna is recovering from non-life-threatening injuries at a medical facility. He will likely be charged this week for shooting at police, according to Owatonna Police Chief Jeff Mundale.

Police declined to identify the suspect, who is a 36-year-old Owatonna man, or the officers involved, citing the ongoing investigation. A video posted to social media that appears to be from a doorbell camera recorded what sounds like about 13 rounds being fired during the incident. Police said less-lethal munitions were used during the traffic stop immediately before the suspect opened fire. Police did not discharge firearms during the incident.

“The officers were working or speaking to this individual on the side of the road in their vehicle for five minutes or more,” Mundale said. “They were trying to negotiate and de-escalate the situation before the situation erupted in gunfire from the suspect.”

The suspect fled the initial scene of the shooting and was then involved in a standoff with police in the 200 block of McKinley Street, where he again threatened police with his 9mm handgun, causing officers to exercise extreme caution.

“In these situations, we must use special care regarding our approach and the distance. He was pointing his firearm at law enforcement and threatening to kill,” Mundale said. “They had to back off for safety reasons and to do the best they could to contain the scene.”

After a tense three hours, at about 12:20 a.m. Thursday, the suspect shot himself, was taken into custody without further incident and was transported to a medical facility for treatment.

Law enforcement from around southern Minnesota responded to the standoff, including the Steele County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol, Rice County Sheriff’s Office, Steele County’s South Central Drug Investigating Unit tactical team and paramedics from Mayo Clinic.

“After this looked like it was going to be a long and drawn-out situation, we activated our regional SWAT team,” Mundale said. “The trucks are very effective safety vehicles for our staff to, when necessary, get closer to the scene — because they’re armored.”

The suspect is in the custody of the Owatonna Police Department while he recovers at a medical facility.

“We learned this morning that it’s a non-life-threatening injury,” Mundale said Thursday morning. “We don’t know the duration of how long he’ll be receiving care.”

Mundale thanked the community for avoiding the scene and giving law enforcement space to resolve the situation.

“The community should know that there is currently no public safety threat. Citizens received an alert to shelter in place, and to those who heeded the warning, we appreciate them for giving us space to work the scene and for their patience and understanding. We’ve received a lot of compliments from the public about the communication that went out during this, and that’s nice to hear,” Mundale said.