MPD confirms names of officers involved in fatal shootout
The Minneapolis police have confirmed the officers involved in a shootout in the basement of a south Minneapolis house, the Star Tribune reports, which left burglary suspect Terrence Franklin dead.
Through two unnamed sources, the paper was able to get confirmation from the MPD on names of the officers who struggled with Franklin, 22, who died of multiple gunshot wounds, according the the Hennepin County Medical Examiner. The department otherwise declined to comment for the story, the paper reports.
Aside from naming names, the Strib's sources piece together a grim snapshot of what happened eight days ago in an incident that also sent two officers to the hospital with gunshot wounds and left a motorcyclist, Ivan Romero, 24, dead after he collided with an MPD SUV that was en route to the scene some 30 minutes after the fatal shooting.
“I will not respond to information received from anonymous sources or information that could jeopardize an active investigation,” Harteau said in an e-mailed statement to the paper's reporters.
According to the Strib's account:
The chase started about 2 p.m. after a caller reported seeing a man he suspected of burglarizing his home, police said. When police confronted the man, later identified as Franklin, he fled, almost hitting an officer with his vehicle.
Franklin had a lengthy criminal record, according to the paper, and eventually led officers to the basement of a home in the 2700 block of Bryant Avenue South.
Two sources described a dark and chaotic confrontation involving Franklin, Sgt. Andrew Stender and Officer Luke Peterson, both with the department's SWAT team, and a patrol dog handled by Stender.
The dog charged Franklin, according to the Star Tribune's sources, grabbing his leg. Stender grabbed Franklin, and Peterson stepped in.
The sources say Franklin jumped at Officer Mark Durand, another member of the SWAT team who was standing nearby with an MP5 submachine gun.
Durand and Franklin struggled over the weapon. But Franklin was able to point it up and fire twice, shooting two other officers, Michael Meath and Ricardo Muro, in the legs, the paper says. Meath and Muro were treated at a hospital and released. Franklin died at 3:35 p.m.
All of this comes amid complaints from many family members and others regarding to the lack of information coming from the MPD.
In a Friday news release, the Police Department said investigators had interviewed Officer Joshua Young, the driver of the police SUV involved in the collision with Romero, the paper reports. Harteau said the interview had been delayed due to the officer’s anxiety over the motorcyclist’s death.
