The Wright County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday confirmed that the man who was shot by a deputy outside of a Dollar General store in Montrose on Monday was 36-year-old Matthew Lyrek.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the sheriff’s office said deputies were attempting to arrest Lyrek on outstanding warrants, but he refused to comply and pulled out a gun.

Deputies used less-lethal measures first, but after those failed, a deputy shot him, the post read.

Authorities haven’t said how seriously Lyrek was injured, only noting that he was taken to a hospital. He hasn’t yet been booked into jail since the shooting as of this report.

Court records shed light on why police were trying to arrest Lyrek: alleged threats of violence against deputies late last month.

In a warrant filed on April 2, Lyrek was charged with fleeing from police and threatening them with violence late last month, including allegedly telling deputies he was armed and that they “needed to leave or [he] would execute his Second Amendment rights.” 

Lyrek wouldn’t comply, and deputies ultimately “cleared the scene for safety purposes,” according to the warrant.

That March 29 encounter was also an attempt to arrest Lyrek on additional warrants for violating an order for protection. The person who filed for the order in January 2023 expressed fear that Lyrek would harm her with a gun.

The filer said that Lyrek “has not been sober in a few months” and “…has been keeping a loaded gun on his waistband anytime he is in the home with me and the girls.”

In one instance, the Wright County Sheriff’s Office was called and the responding deputy reportedly drew his gun after seeing one in Lyrek’s waistband. Then, Lyrek “immediately chambered a round and put his gun to his head,” the filer wrote.

The judge who issued the order for protection also ordered the sheriff’s office to “take immediate possession of all firearms in [Lyrek’s] possession.” It’s not immediately clear whether that happened.

Additional court records in the last two years note multiple times that Lyrek was allegedly confrontational toward law enforcement and at Montrose City Hall. Video from a 2022 city council meeting shows him being escorted out after refusing to yield during public comments.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the deputy’s use of force. The agency has not released any details as of this report.