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The St. Paul Police Department (SPPD) on Tuesday held a press conference and released the body-worn camera video footage from the Sept. 15 officer involved shooting of Ronald Davis near the intersection of Thomas and Griggs.
The video shows SPPD Officer Steven Mattson stopping his vehicle after what appeared to be a bump sustained in the rear-end traffic collision with Davis. Mattson exits the vehicle and is immediately confronted by a charging suspect who appears to have items in both hands.
Officer Mattson appears to fall to the ground before regaining his footing and shouted for the suspect to “drop the knife” during a close quarters scuffle. Shots are heard and Davis falls to the ground and Mattson radios to dispatch for help.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) later confirmed that Davis was armed with a knife at the time of the confrontation with Officer Mattson.
Social justice activist groups have been vocal since the shooting of Davis demanding the release of the video. Civil rights attorney and Black Lives Matter activist Nekima Levy Armstrong stated as recently as Sunday that Davis should still be alive, and told a crowd of protesters at the scene of the St. Paul shooting, “I don’t care what happened in that car situation.”
During the press conference, SPPD Chief Todd Axtell addressed the incident and stated that his department has a proven track record of taking responsibility when mistakes are made, but that this incident was not one of those times. Axtell took issue with those who had “assailed” a “good officer” without full knowledge of the facts in the case and went on to say that he hoped more “mature discourse” could be had in the future without “irresponsible accusations of murder, calculated cries of injustice and threats made” against officers.
Axtel further generally chastised those who used this and similar incidents to “swim in a sea of lies and distorted facts,” which he said creates an undertow of distrust and urged the community to move forward together in good faith to achieve desired outcomes.
The SPPD said that the BCA is still actively investigating the case.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information offers citizen-powered news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
