WILLMAR, Minn. — A 75-year-old man has died after a sheriff's deputy in rural Minnesota shocked him with a Taser during an attempted eviction, officials announced Wednesday.
The cause of Michael James Yanacheak's death in Willmar is undetermined pending further investigation by the medical examiner, the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) said in a statement.
The BCA, which was called in to investigate the incident, said Riley Kampsen is the Kandiyohi County sheriff’s deputy who deployed his Taser. Kampsen has five years of law enforcement experience.
According to the BCA timeline, two Kandiyohi County sheriff’s deputies and two Willmar police officers went to Yanacheak’s apartment Monday morning to perform a court-ordered eviction. The officers tried to get him to open the door, but Yanacheak didn’t respond. After about an hour, the apartment manager pried open the apartment door and officers went inside.
“They found Yanacheak in a bedroom, where he picked up a kitchen knife and walked towards them," the BCA statement said. “The law enforcement officers tried to retreat out of the apartment, but at one point, Kampsen deployed his Taser, striking Yanacheak.”
The officers provided medical care at the scene until Yanacheak could be taken to the hospital, where he later died. “At no time did anyone involved in this incident discharge a firearm,” according to the BCA.
A Willmar police officer recovered a knife at the scene, which was later turned over to the BCA. Kampsen and the two Willmar police officers were all wearing body cameras. The BCA is reviewing all available video as part of the investigation.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office asked the BCA to investigate, a common practice in use of force incidents. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without a charging recommendation to the Kandiyohi County Attorney’s Office for review.
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
