St. Paul councilors call for bodycam release after police shoot, kill suicidal woman

Members of St. Paul City Council are calling for the "swift" release of police bodycam footage from a mental health call Monday night, which ended with officers fatally shooting a woman who was reportedly suicidal.

Police were called just before 7:30 p.m. to the 1100 block of Rose Avenue East to a report of a suicide in progress, which culminated with officers shooting the woman after she allegedly pointed a handgun at them.

According to police, a person inside the home "yelled for them to come inside" when officers arrived and they were directed to a room at the rear of the property.

"Officers were speaking to an adult woman and trying to determine how to help her, when the woman produced a handgun and pointed it at officers. Officers fired their duty weapons, striking the woman," police said, with the woman pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement issued Tuesday, St. Paul City Council said it was "deeply saddened" by the incident, and called for police to release the footage from officers' body cameras as soon as they're able.

"Many details surrounding the incident remain unknown – but we are deeply saddened by this news," said the statement from city council vice president HwaJeong Kim and council members Nelsie Yang and Cheniqua Johnson.

"Our prayers and thoughts are with a heartbroken family who has lost a loved one. We are committed to offering support and care to them during this painful time. We are also grateful for city and community partners who continue to support the family through the fallout of this traumatic event."

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been brought in to investigate, as is customary in the event of police shootings.

The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave. No officers were injured in the incident.

Some of the details provided in this story are based on law enforcement’s latest version of events, and may be subject to change.