Man charged in Oakdale standoff fired at least 4 shots at officers, court documents show

A man accused of shooting at Oakdale police officers during an hours-long standoff earlier this week is now facing numerous felony charges.

Court documents filed in Washington County show 25-year-old Devione Leeante Malone is charged with two counts of first-degree attempted murder, four counts of first-degree assault and one count of illegal possession of a firearm.

The situation began in an Oakdale strip mall parking lot around 10 p.m. Monday after a 911 caller said his friend “was in trouble” and needed help. The friend — named in the criminal complaint by her initials, D.R. — was a passenger in a car with Malone and her 1½-year-old grandson near Hadley Avenue and 10th Street North.

Malone is facing an open burglary case and was not supposed to have contact with D.R., the complaint states.

Four Oakdale squad cars responded to the parking lot and surrounded the car, a Volkswagen hatchback. Malone then “took off abruptly” and headed south on Hadley. Officers determined he was headed toward D.R.’s home nearby and followed him to the 100 block of Greystone Avenue North.

When Malone arrived at the house, he got out of the Volkswagen, turned around and fired one shot at an officer, hitting the squad’s right front fender and ricocheting into the passenger side mirror, according to the complaint. Malone ran inside the house, while D.R. got herself and the child out of the car and toward the officers to safety.

The four Oakdale officers parked their squads in front of the driveway and got out, using their vehicles for cover. Dash camera footage shows Malone opening a window before shooting three more times in the officers’ direction. One bullet struck a squad’s windshield near where an officer was standing, the complaint states.

Police said on Tuesday, at least one officer fired back. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is reviewing the use-of-force incidents and will release the names of the officers involved later.

Members of the Washington County SWAT team eventually took Malone into custody around 12:30 a.m. and recovered a .22 caliber gun from the scene.

D.R. told investigators that Malone had come to her home earlier in the day and that he was “fine” until his mood changed. At that point, she texted her friend, asking him to get help, the complaint states.

The woman said she had asked Malone to get her granddaughter home, and that’s when he drove them to the shopping center. When squad cars started pulling up, Malone allegedly told D.R., “I’m tired of them following me,” and “I’ll die before I go back to prison” before taking off.

According to the complaint, D.R. knew that Malone kept a gun with him at all times — something Malone also admitted to. Malone claimed he did not remember shooting at police and “assumed he was going to jail” for violating a no-contact order.

Malone’s criminal history includes multiple assaults on corrections officers while serving time in prison, and he is not allowed to possess a gun due to his past felony convictions.

Malone remains in custody at the Washington County Jail. His first court appearance is set for Thursday morning.