ST PAUL, Minn. — Just days after a man was fatally wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a St. Paul police officer, authorities released officer-worn body camera and dash-camera footage from the incident.
The video, released Tuesday, contains graphic footage and language. Viewer discretion is advised. The video, as edited by St. Paul police, is available on the department's YouTube page.
At a press conference following the video's release, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said transparency is a "core tenet" of the investigation that's now being led by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). He added he hoped releasing the footage to the public could help the community "understand what transpired."
"Last week, our city experienced in one moment two of the most horrific experiences that a city can endure," he said, acknowledging that both Keys' death and an officer being injured as a result of the exchange left residents with "complex layers of grief to unpack and process."
Carter said the city continues to work with the BCA to "ensure a timely, thorough and transparent investigation," admitting that neither he nor St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry would attempt to answer every question posed by the community at this time.
"This conversation right now is about delivering this video so that people can see for themselves what transpired last week," Carter said. "And so that we can continue to move forward as a community, as a city, with our community-first, public safety framework in a way that allows our community to heal, our community to process our trauma and grief that we're experiencing as the result of the events of last week."
SPPD Chief Henry spoke after Carter, saying he recognized the community's grief around the incident, and hoped the video's release could help bring "at least some clarity" to the public during the investigation's early stages.
"We know the events that transpired on Thursday will have a lasting effect on our community," Henry said. "Healing is a process that takes time, patience and support, but we stand here as one community and we will do anything we can to support one another while the BCA completes its investigation."
The shooting happened Thursday, Dec. 7 after the man, identified as 24-year-old Brandon Keys, allegedly shot an officer in the leg before the officer returned fire, critically injuring Keys. Keys died from his injuries at the hospital the next day.
According to the BCA's preliminary investigation, the officer, identified as Michael Tschida, responded to a woman's report that Keys was violating an order of protection, following her while driving her vehicle and eventually ramming his vehicle into hers. The woman also told police that Keys approached her vehicle while stopped at a red light and claimed to have a gun.
The BCA said Tschida arrived to the scene and told Keys to get on the ground before exchanging gunfire. The St. Paul Police Department claimed in a news conference shortly after the shooting that Keys shot first.
The video released Tuesday showed Keys ducking for cover under a vehicle door, then firing at Tschida and striking him in the leg. Tschida then returned fire, and while limping, approached Keys from an angle, asking "is he down?" He then instructed a woman who had emerged from a nearby car and ran toward Keys to "get out of the way," before eventually seizing Keys' gun.
"The guy shot at him first and that officer just returned fire. There's no more justifiable shooting than right there. Seriously," said Joseph Dutton, who worked as a police trainer during his three decades in law enforcement. "I thought his tactics were really good for that open of an environment."
Tschida was also taken to the hospital for treatment and released. He's currently recovering on administrative leave as the BCA continues its investigation.
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