St. Paul police chief: 'Swift action' taken against officer who shot man

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The St. Paul, Minn., police chief on Tuesday said he took "swift, decisive and serious" action against an officer who shot an unarmed man over the weekend. 

During an afternoon press conference during which Police Chief Todd Axtell didn't take questions, he said state law prevented him from disclosing the action he took, but Fox News learned the officer was fired from the force. Axtell played police body camera footage that shows an officer trying to talk a man out of a dumpster following a domestic dispute. 

"Don't run," the officer yells moments before four gunshots are heard. 

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the injured man as Joseph Javonte Washington, 31, of Lakeville. In the video, he is on the ground being restrained by a K-9 and screaming for the dog to get off him.  

St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell looked visibly upset Tuesday as he spoke at a press conference about a shooting by a police officer last weekend in St. Paul, Minn. (Renee Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP)

Washington sustained three gunshot wounds to the leg and another to the abdomen, the Star Tribune reported. He is recovering in a hospital. No officers were injured and no weapons were recovered. 

The BCA identified the officer who opened fire as Anthony Dean, a six-year veteran of the police force. 

Axtell said he spent the last few days reviewing the footage. 

"Lives have been altered, a person has been shot, a community is feeling the effects of an officer-involved shooting," he said. “When I ask if the officer’s actions on Saturday night were reasonable and necessary, the only answer I can come up with is no.”

Mayor Melvin Carter praised Axtell for his transparency in releasing the video just days after the incident. 

St. Paul Police Federation President Paul Kuntz said the officers "worked to arrest the man using many de-escalation techniques."

"This was a difficult situation for everyone involved," he said in a statement. 

A St. Paul, Minn., police officer was fired after shooting an unarmed man over the weekend. (St. Paul Police Department)

The shooting occurred more than an hour after officers responded to reports of a man attacking his ex-girlfriend with a knife in a car that crashed, the newspaper reported, citing a police report. The man fled the scene and broke into a home. 

When officers responded, Washington was found hiding inside a dumpster in an alley. As he climbed out, Washington allegedly ran toward the officers. One officer used a Taser and another deployed a K-9 to subdue him.

Dean opened fire, authorities said. 

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Washington is charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of kidnapping and one count of second-degree assault in connection to an incident that occurred before the shooting at the victim's Lakeville home, the BCA said. 

The agency is investigating the shooting. 

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi has asked the Minnesota attorney general and the Washington County attorney to review the case following the completion of the investigation.