A North Branch police officer lawfully used deadly force last summer when he fatally shot a woman who pointed a gun at him, according to a review by the Washington County Attorney’s Office, which handled the Chisago County matter to avoid a conflict of interest for local prosecutors.
The incident was reviewed to determine whether criminal charges should be filed against the officer who killed Jamie Ann Crabtree, 36, of North Branch. She died of multiple gunshot wounds.
According to the investigative findings, North Branch police officers responded to a 911 call around 9:19 p.m. on June 27. The caller reported that his wife, Crabtree, was intoxicated and had left their home with a handgun in a case. The caller reported that Crabtree made suicidal comments, including a statement that she would commit “suicide by cop.”
At about 9:27 p.m., North Branch police officers Duane Southworth and Kyle Miller found Crabtree. She had taken her gun out of its case and was holding it in her right hand. The officers ordered her to put the gun down, but she did not comply. Miller fired several pepperball rounds. Some struck Crabtree. After she was struck, body camera footage showed her raising her right arm and holding something that the officers believed was the gun still in her hand.
She “pointed the gun at Officer Southworth. Southworth then fired 23 rounds at Ms. Crabtree. Ms. Crabtree was struck by some of the rounds, which caused her to drop her gun and fall backwards from her seated position. Shortly after falling backwards, Ms. Crabtree rolled back toward her gun, which was near her, with her arm outstretched. Officer Southworth then fired one additional round,” according to the attorney’s office findings.
After she was shot, police found several bottles of alcohol, a backpack and a gun case containing fully loaded magazines near her, along with an unloaded 9mm Glock semiautomatic handgun near her lower leg. Toxicology tests revealed the presence of alcohol and THC in her system.
“Police officers must make difficult, split-second decisions when their lives, or the lives of others, are in danger,” Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said in a statement about the findings. “Many of those decisions must be made when dealing with people who are undergoing a mental health crisis and who are sometimes suicidal. When officers make the decision to use lethal force to defend themselves or others, the results can be tragic, as they were in this case.”
In a memorandum to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Washington County Attorney’s Office determined that Southworth was justified in the use of deadly force against Crabtree. The county attorney’s office also concluded that responding officers did not violate Minnesota’s criminal law regarding rendering aid to gunshot victims. The decision comes after prosecutors reviewed an extensive BCA investigation, which included video from the body and squad car cameras of the officers who were present.
Related Articles
St. Paul firefighters use rope rescue for teen who slipped 30 feet down bluff
Lakeville police officer, high school hockey coach critically injured in fall during practice
Crime down 6%, ridership up 6% on Metro Transit year-over-year, officials announce
B Kyle: On public safety in St. Paul: progress made, more work ahead
Uncertainty, rumors abound in Twin Cities as ICE raids increase nationally
Leave a Reply