The following is a press release that was released by the City one week ago today:
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On Monday, Dec. 4 at approximately 9 p.m., Eden Prairie Police officers responded to a call of a suicidal 24-year-old adult white male who was reportedly threatening to kill himself.
A person familiar with the individual made the initial call to Eden Prairie Police. The preliminary investigation indicates that officers arrived on the scene at 6422 City West Parkway and attempted to make contact with the individual who was uncooperative.
As officers attempted to handle the situation with the 24-year-old male, he charged the officers, assaulted Sgt. Chris Wood and attempted to assault other officers. Officer Patrick Kenyon responded to the assaults by shooting the 24-year-old male in the torso. He is being treated at Hennepin County Medical Center.
Sgt. Wood sustained injuries in the assault and was treated and released from Hennepin County Medical Center.
Officer Kenyon has been a police officer for more than four years, beginning his career with the Hopkins, Minn. Police Department in May 2002, and starting with the Eden Prairie Police Department Oct. 30, 2006. Prior to his career in law enforcement, Officer Kenyon served in the United States Army from 1993 to 1997.
Per department policy, Officer Kenyon is on paid administrative duty and the incident is under investigation by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and the Eden Prairie Police Department.
“When an officer has to fire his or her weapon in the line of duty, it is a very serious event for all parties involved,” said Police Chief Dan Carlson. “However, we train extensively for this type of situation and I am confident that when the investigation is completed the officers will be found to have carried out their responsibilities in accordance with department standards, policies and procedures.”
Any specific information regarding the investigation will be provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
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Sometimes people think that Police officers in Eden Prairie have got it easy. It’s a nice, affluent community. Residents, by and large, respect and like the Police. It has a low crime rate, etc. But “low crime” isn’t “no crime”. Our officers face the same sorts of risks and dangers faced by Police officers in any other city. The incident described above is just an example of the kinds of incidents that our officers must be prepared to face everyday. I sympathize with the family of the person who was shot, but I feel relieved that none of our officers involved were seriously injured. They had to make a very difficult life-or-death decision in the blink of an eye – something most of us will never have to do.
In an officer involved shooting, such as this one, the incident must be investigated by a law enforcement agency other than us, for obvious reasons. The Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office is investigating this incident. They will issue a final report sometime in the near future which explains the circumstances of the use of deadly force by the officer and renders a judgment on whether or not the circumstances justified the actions.
We look forward to receiving this report soon.
