Charges: Cop feared for his life during struggle for gun with suspect

A St. Paul man has been charged after he pointed a gun at an officer during a domestic call.

According to the criminal complaint, Allen Denzel Oliver-Hall, 27, has been charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon after the Tuesday incident.

At around 3:20 p.m., a St. Paul police officer was called to the 1500 block of Timberlake Road in St. Paul for an incident involving a custody exchange. Oliver-Hall and his girlfriend had reportedly gotten into an argument after he began damaging things in the apartment while drunk.

Oliver-Hall barricaded the door while his girlfriend was out so she’d be unable to get back inside. His girlfriend and her aunt asked the officer to help them get back into the apartment and make sure it was safe.

The officer knocked on the door and announced himself. He was met by Oliver-Hall, who let him inside. Oliver-Hall told the officer he did not live in the apartment and was just visiting. The officer reported that he believed Oliver-Hall was still drunk, according to the criminal complaint. 

The situation grew tense when Oliver-Hall allegedly repeatedly asked the officer to turn his back for a few seconds. That's when the officer spotted a gun, and a struggle ensued. The criminal complaint states: 

Oliver-Hall repeatedly and desperately said he would leave if Officer Heroux turned his back for a few seconds. Officer Heroux thought Oliver-Hall was trying to distract him, and he thought Oliver-Hall was trying to conceal contraband. Officer Heroux asked dispatch for another squad to respond.

Officer Heroux scanned the area and he saw the back end of a handgun sticking out between Oliver-Hall’s legs. Officer Heroux realized he was in a life-threatening situation, and he decided to grab Oliver-Hall while ordering Oliver-Hall to keep his hands up. Oliver-Hall grabbed the handgun and drew it to within inches of Officer Heroux’s face. Officer Heroux grabbed the gun’s barrel and pushed it away from his face. Officer Heroux tackled Oliver-Hall, and they landed on the couch. Oliver-Hall had his finger near the gun’s trigger, and Oliver-Hall yelled, “The gun is loaded!” Officer Heroux felt the gun was about to be fired as he fought to keep it pointed away from him. Officer Heroux turned his head and closed his eyes anticipating the gunshot. The gun did not fire. Officer Heroux continued to force the gun away from him using all his strength – he believed that Oliver-Hall would shoot him if he got control of the gun. Oliver-Hall refused to let the gun go when ordered to do so. Officer Heroux was finally able to wrest the gun from Oliver-Hall, and he threw it across the living room floor.

Officer Heroux aired that he was fighting with a person who had a gun. Officer Heroux continued to wrestle with Oliver-Hall to prevent Oliver-Hall from getting the gun again. Oliver-Hall tried to get to his feet. Officer Heroux used his body weight to hold Oliver-Hall down on the couch. Another officer eventually arrived, and Oliver-Hall was placed in handcuffs. 

The gun, which was loaded, had been stolen from Georgia. Oliver-Hall’s previous felony convictions prevented him from legally possessing a gun.