HASTINGS, Minn. — No criminal charges will be filed against three Minneapolis police officers in the fatal shooting of Dolal Idd.
The incident involved an exchange of gunfire during an attempted arrest in December 2020.
In a charging decision document issued Friday, Dakota County Attorney Kathryn Keena's office found that "the officers were legally justified in using deadly force in this instance and there is no basis to issue criminal charges against any of them."
Dakota County conducted the investigation as part of an agreement with other metro counties to step in and handle shootings involving officers.
Keena said the decision was based on a review of the BCA investigative files and body camera video of the shooting.
According to the charging decision document, Minneapolis officers were attempting to arrest Idd on weapons charges outside a gas station. Officers had surrounded Idd's vehicle with their squad cars as he attempted to leave the scene. A BCA investigation found Idd fired a pistol through his closed driver's side window at an unmarked squad car carrying three officers.
The decision summary states that officers Paul Huyhn, Darcy Klund and Jason Schmitt "discharged their respective duty firearms at Mr. Idd because they believed Mr. Idd was either trying to kill them and/or the other peace officers at the scene." The document also states that Officer Klund "did so to defend customers located in the parking lot."
"The use of deadly force by a peace officer is justified to protect the officer or another person from death or great bodily harm," Keena wrote.
Following the decision, Idd's family and community leaders spoke in front of the governor's mansion to demand Gov. Tim Walz ask Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to review the case, or to assign a special prosecutor.
"In this country, the prosecutors who are charged to bring on justice have failed to bring on justice against police officers when police officers in this country commit crimes against those they serve," said executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) Jaylani Hussein.
According to the BCA investigation, a woman in the car with Idd told investigators Idd had said that he didn't want to go to "jail this year" and started shooting.
Idd's family has maintained the officers' actions were not justified. His family has often joined other families of people killed by police at news conferences and events demanding justice. Idd's father was among those who spoke out Friday.
"We will never stop this revolution fighting for justice," Idd's father, Bayle Gelle, said. "And I will continue until my last breath...until we get justice."
A search warrant filed by the BCA earlier in the case said members of the Minneapolis Police Department's First Precinct Community Response Team (CRT) were attempting to buy a MAC-10 high capacity pistol from Idd using a confidential informant.
A judge had previously ordered that Idd not possess firearms after a prior conviction.
"Whether Dolal was a criminal or not, whether he was an amazing person or not, nothing justifies his murder," Zaynab Mohamed, community advocacy manager for CAIR-MN, said.