BCA identifies officer who shot Minneapolis murder suspect in leg

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Wednesday identified the Metro Transit police officer who shot and injured a suspect last weekend in a downtown Minneapolis parking lot.

The BCA said Metro Transit Police Officer John Steele, a nine-year law enforcement veteran, fired his weapon and has since been placed on standard administrative leave.

The man injured in the incident was identified as 23-year-old Kevion Jamal Gibbs, of West Point, Mississippi. He’s since been booked at Hennepin County Jail and is charged with two separate counts of second-degree murder.

The man killed in the incident was previously identified by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office as 33-year-old Deandre Intonio Smith, of Minneapolis.

A criminal complaint states Smith had gotten in an argument with a group of people early Saturday morning outside Augie’s near Fifth Street and Hennepin Avenue. A Metro Transit police officer standing on a nearby light rail platform saw Smith punch someone before running away from the group; Gibbs then pointed a gun at Smith and fired two or three shots. At that point, the officer went after Gibbs and shot him once in the leg.

Police say Gibbs was treated at a nearby hospital and released into police custody.

According to the BCA, portions of the incident were captured on Metro Transit Police body cameras.

Minneapolis police are investigating Smith’s death while the BCA is investigating the deadly force used by Steele. Those investigations remain active.