Woodbury Target standoff: Suspect pointed BB gun at police

Kilat Fitzgerald
<div>Police investigate the aftermath of a standoff that resulted in police shooting a suspect (FOX 9).</div>
Police investigate the aftermath of a standoff that resulted in police shooting a suspect (FOX 9).

WOODBURY, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) released details of the Woodbury Target store parking lot shooting that left a man hospitalized after a standoff on Monday.

That suspect, Donald Roche, 63, remains hospitalized in serious condition after being shot multiple times by law enforcement.

BCA investigators say Roche pointed a "pistol-style BB gun" at officers during the standoff, which prompted them to open fire. Images shared by law enforcement show there was no orange safety tip on the BB gun, which resembled a revolver, or any other feature to indicate it was a toy.

<div>Law enforcement agencies released a photo of a BB gun resembling a revolver that was recovered from the scene.</div>
Law enforcement agencies released a photo of a BB gun resembling a revolver that was recovered from the scene.

Law enforcement says the incident began when Woodbury Police Department license plate readers alerted officers that both a vehicle and the person associated with it were wanted in connection to a felony-level crime.

Police then found the vehicle unoccupied in the Target store parking lot, and the man, who would later be identified as Roche, returned to the vehicle.

Officers say they then tried to arrest Roche, who physically resisted them. Roche then showed what appeared to be a handgun, prompting police to back away and call for assistance from the Washington County SWAT team.

As Roche sat in the vehicle with the doors locked, authorities reportedly tried to negotiate with him while using less-than-lethal force weapons such as 40-millimeter projectiles and PepperBall rounds.

Authorities say Roche then stepped out of his vehicle and pointed the BB gun at officers, who opened fire, striking Roche.

<div>A photo from Woodbury police, that appears to have been captured by a drone, shows Roche crouching between two vehicles pointing what was later found to be a BB gun.</div>
A photo from Woodbury police, that appears to have been captured by a drone, shows Roche crouching between two vehicles pointing what was later found to be a BB gun.

No other injuries have been reported from the incident.

The BCA has since released the names of the officers and deputies involved in the standoff, the type of force they used and the amount of law enforcement experience they have:

  • Woodbury police officer Scott Melander used less-than-lethal force and has 27 years of law enforcement experience.

  • Woodbury police officer Matthew Noren used less-than-lethal force and has 19 years of law enforcement experience.

  • Woodbury police officer James Stoffel fired his department rifle and has 11 years of law enforcement experience. He has since been placed on standard administrative leave.

  • Cottage Grove police officer Benjamin Deitner used non-lethal force and has five years of law enforcement experience.

  • Cottage Grove police officer Matthew Sorgaard used less-than-lethal force and has eight years of law enforcement experience.

  • Washington County sheriff’s deputy Brian Krook fired his department handgun and has 13 years of law enforcement experience. He has since been placed on standard administrative leave. Deputy Krook was also charged and acquitted for shooting and killing a suicidal person who was armed with a gun back in April of 2018.

During the incident, officials asked members of the public to avoid the Target store at Valley Creek Plaza due to an active situation. A shelter-in-place order was issued for people in the area while the situation was ongoing, starting during the 9 a.m. hour. Shots were fired around 10:30 a.m., police said.

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