WILLMAR, Minn. — Officials with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) are investigating after an officer shot a man during an altercation on Sunday.
According to Willmar police, around 8:10 a.m. someone called 911 saying a man was threatening him with a knife. An officer arrived and found the caller outside.
As the officer tried to speak to him and gather information, the suspect "suddenly exited from a nearby doorway and charged at the officer with a knife," officials said.
The officer said he tried to get away from the suspect, giving repeated commands and drawing his handgun. According to Willmar PD, the suspect continued to advance and threaten the officer with the knife. The officer then shot him.
The suspect fled, making it a little more than a block away before the officer and others were able to catch him. They worked to save the man's life and then he was taken in an ambulance to CentraCare – Rice Memorial Hospital. It's unclear where he was taken next but police described it as a "higher care facility."
For much of Sunday, police and the BCA had the intersection of 4th Street SW and Litchfield Avenue SW in downtown Willmar closed off. The scene was cleared around 5:30 p.m.
KARE 11 spoke to people in many of the businesses near the shooting on Sunday afternoon but all of them said they did not hear or see anything. Barber Ron Schueler of Razor's Edge said his business is closed on Sundays but his friend, who lives downtown, called him about the shooting.
"It's pretty disturbing to have things like this happening here," Schueler said.
The suspect's identity has not been released at this time and his current condition is unknown.
The BCA reported that the officer suffered minor injuries.
This story will be updated as more information is made available.
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