MINNEAPOLIS — A retired Minneapolis firefighter was arrested and charged after allegedly assaulting a person, firing a gun and making violent threats while using racial slurs last Friday in south Minneapolis.
Eric Matthew Jagers, 54, was charged Monday with second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and making threats of violence with reckless disregard. Court documents say Jagers, who is white, also used racial slurs during the incident with the victim, who is Black.
On April 14, Minneapolis Police responded to a report of a person with a gun in the alley between 16th and 17th Avenues. When they arrived, neighbors told officers that Jagers had just fired his gun and was still armed.
Police saw Jagers walking toward officers and say he refused to listen to demands that he get on the ground, the complaint said. Jagers had two guns in his possession, a shotgun and a holstered handgun. Police said he eventually dropped both guns but refused to comply with officers' commands, at which point officers deployed a Taser, the complaint said.
The Taser wasn't effective and Jagers reportedly tried to run but was tackled and taken into custody.
The victim in the case, identified by his attorney as former U of M running back and current teacher Tellis Redmon, told officers that he was driving through the alley on his way to pick up his son and was trying to avoid hitting items that were littering the ground. He ended up driving over a board in the alley, at which point Jagers allegedly threw a boot at the victim's vehicle, the complaint said.
Jagers demanded that Redmon pick up the board and when he refused, Jagers got a gun from his garage, according to court documents.
Police said Jagers and Redmon engaged in a struggle and Jagers fired the gun while it was next to the victim's head. The firearm fell to the ground and when Jagers attempted to grab Redmon reportedly got on top of Jagers to hold him in place. A neighbor then pulled the victim off and he left the area for his own safety, the complaint said.
“My client, ex-Gopher football player and current teacher, is a hero as he took on an armed and dangerous person to save his son and community from harm," said Twin Cities attorney Lee Hutton III in a released statement. "Now, my client (Tellis Redmon) must face the reality of maintaining his family’s safety considering the lightweight charges against the perpetrator that should elevate to a hate crime. At the moment, my client and family are safe but left with questions and concerns that enough is not being done to protect them from future harm.”
Both Redmon and witnesses told police that Jagers used racial slurs during the incident and told Redmon to "say goodbye to your 5-year-old," court documents said. The neighbor also told police that Jagers "appeared unstable at times."
Tellis Redmon told police that at one point Jagers told him he was a firefighter, he knew the police and wouldn't get into trouble.
Police located a single live .223 caliber round near Jager's truck and a loaded .223 caliber magazine. Officers also located an empty pistol in the truck, along with an ammo can full of 12-gauge shotgun shells. There was also a box of various caliber rounds, according to the complaint.
Jagers is slated to make his next court appearance on May 18, 2023.
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