Duluth officer ‘off duty indefinitely’ after internal review
A Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension vehicle is parked outside an apartment building where a Duluth police officer shot and injured a suspect while responding to a domestic disupute.[WDIO]
The Duluth Police Department says the actions of an officer charged in a September shooting that left a man with a bullet lodged in his shoulder went against department policies and training regarding the use of force.
Officer Tyler Leibfried was responding to a possible domestic incident on Sept. 12 when he mistakenly thought he heard two gunshots, St. Louis County prosecutors said.
Leibfried allegedly fired six rounds into a closed door leading into an apartment, striking Jared Fyle, who was on the other side of the door and unarmed.
Duluth police officer charged in shooting of unarmed man in September
"We believe that Officer Leibfried’s actions were contrary to Duluth Police Department policies and training guiding use of force," the department said in the news release Wednesday, Hubbard Broadcasting-owned WDIO-TV reports.
Leibfried is off duty indefinitely, according to WDIO, but the department and city said state law prevents them from providing further information.
"I am aware of the process to review the incident involving Mr. Leibfried and support the Duluth Police Department’s efforts to address it as appropriate," Noah Schuchman, the city’s chief administrative officer, told WDIO.
Leibfried made his initial court appearance to face two felony charges for intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety and reckless discharge of a firearm within a municipality earlier Wednesday. WDIO reports he is not in custody as of Wednesday night.