Officer recovering, suspect in critical condition after exchange of gunfire in St. Paul
A St. Paul officer and a suspect were both injured in an exchange of gunfire Thursday afternoon, according to police.
The officer, whom multiple law enforcement sources confirmed to 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS is Michael Tschida, was shot in the ankle. He was brought to Regions Hospital and has since been discharged, St. Paul Police Sgt. Mike Ernster said at a media availability Thursday.
The suspect is in critical condition, police said.
Officers were called to the intersection of Cretin and Marshall avenues around 2 p.m. on a report of a violation of an order of protection. A woman had called 911 saying she had an order of protection against a man and that he was following her as she was driving in the area.
The woman said the man was intentionally driving his vehicle into hers, had broken a window on her vehicle and was armed with a handgun, according to police.
A responding officer, Tschida, confronted the man, who shot him. Tschida fired back, striking the suspect, according to police. Both were brought to Regions Hospital. The woman was not injured.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting.
Tschida was wearing his body camera, which was activated at the time of the shooting. He will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure after a use of deadly force incident.
“Today is a scary day for St. Paul,” Mayor Melvin Carter said. “One of the scariest calls a mayor can receive is that an officer has been injured by gunfire on duty. We are all breathing a sigh of relief that our officer is recovering. We are all in prayer alongside the families of the involved individuals. We are committed, just as we are in any officer-involved shooting, to the highest levels of transparency and accountability.”
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry added that police have responded to six domestic violence homicides in the city in 2023.
“Our officers get called to these situations where they’re asked for help and they’re going to respond. Nobody in our community, particularly our officers, wants things to turn out this way,” Henry said. “Our hearts and our prayers and our thoughts go out to everyone involved. Our officers are asked to do an incredibly difficult job and are thrust into situations that are often unpredictable and extremely dangerous.”