MOUNTAIN IRON, Minn. — The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says a 19-year-old man was fatally shot and killed by police following a pursuit in Mountain Iron Saturday.
Police say they initially responded to reports of a shoplifter around 12:30 p.m. within a business on the 8400 block of Enterprise Drive North.
Officers say the suspect "refused commands" and fled the area on foot after he was encountered outside of the business.
A search was conducted, during which authorities say the man matched the description of a suspect in a drive-by shooting incident that occurred on Dec. 4 in Virginia.
The man was eventually found some time later in a wooded area by a police K-9 unit. Some time after, the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says deputies "deployed tasers and eventually two deputies discharged their firearms, striking the man."
The man, who was later identified as 19-year-old Estavon Dominick Elioff of Virginia, was later pronounced dead at the scene by emergency first responders. The Midwest Medical Examiner says Elioff died of multiple gunshot wounds.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Office says it asked the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to conduct an independent investigation.
The BCA identified the deputies involved as Deputy Ryan Smith and Deputy Matt Tomisch. According to a press release, both deputies declined to be interviewed by BCA agents, but attorneys for the deputies provided unsolicited written reports from the officers to the BCA on Tuesday.
Both deputies are on standard administrative leave.
According to the release, St. Louis County deputies don't wear body-worn cameras and dash cameras didn't capture the incident. BCA personnel recovered a knife on scene.
