BCA: Man shot during standoff in Woodbury had pistol-style BB gun, still hospitalized

State officials say the man involved in a standoff with law enforcement and shooting in the parking lot of a Woodbury shopping center had a pistol-style BB gun and remains hospitalized in serious condition.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) identified the suspect from the incident at Valley Creek Plaza on Monday as 63-year-old Donald Roche.

Roche was shot multiple times after ignoring commands from law enforcement and pulling what officials said looked like a handgun on officers. He was taken to a hospital where he continued to receive treatment on Friday, the BCA says.

Additionally, the BCA identified the officers involved in the incident as:

• Washington County Sheriff’s Deputy Brian Krook, a 13-year veteran who fired his handgun at Roche.
• Woodbury Police Officer James Stoffel, an 11-year veteran who fired his rifle at Roche.
• Woodbury Police Officer Scott Melander, a 27-year veteran who used less-than-lethal force.
• Woodbury Police Officer Matthew Noren, a 19-year veteran who used less-than-lethal force.
• Cottage Grove Police Officer Benjamin Deitner, a five-year veteran who deployed PepperBall.
• Cottage Grove Police Officer Matthew Sorgaard, an eight-year veteran who used less-than-lethal force.

Krook is the deputy who was charged with manslaughter and sued in connection to the death of 23-year-old Benjamin Evans in 2018. He was later acquitted.

Both Krook and Stoffel are on standard administrative leave, as is typical when a law enforcement officer fires their weapon.

The BCA says Woodbury license plate readers alerted officers that Roche’s vehicle and a person associated with it were wanted for a felony-level crime. It’s still unclear exactly how those alerts connected to the vehicle and Roche, the BCA says. However, the alerts prompted officers to respond. When they found the vehicle in the parking lot, it was empty but Roche came back to the car a short time later.

At that time, officers tried to arrest him but he physically resisted and displayed the apparent handgun, which prompted officers to back off and call for SWAT. As the team negotiated with Roche, they also deployed chemical irritants, including PepperBall to try to get him to surrender. However, he continued to ignore commands and, eventually, got out and pointed the gun at officers, who returned fire, the BCA says.

Investigators are still reviewing video, including from body and squad cameras, as part of the investigation. After the investigation is finished, the BCA will forward its findings to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review and possible charging consideration.