FOREST LAKE, Minn. — Prosecutors in Washington County say no criminal charges will be filed against law enforcement officers who fatally shot a Forest Lake man last November.
A memorandum to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) details the process that led Washington County Criminal Division Head Nick Hydukovich and Assistant County Attorney Tom Frenette to conclude the shooting of 47-year-old Bradley George Erickson was justified.
On Nov. 28, 2021 Forest Lake police officers and Washington County deputies were dispatched to a home on the 8300 block of 224th St. N in Forest Lake on reports that a suspect, later identified as Erickson, had arrived at the home of a relative who had obtained an order of protection against him. The caller told dispatchers that Erickson was armed.
Arriving officers said in reports that they encountered Erickson walking near the residence of the 911 caller carrying a rifle. From a distance, they say an attempt was made to get him to put the weapon down, using a squad car's public address system to offer help and resources to make his situation better.
Law enforcement says Erickson refused to put the weapon down, jumped in his vehicle and fled the scene. Squads followed and eventually used a pursuit intervention technique (PIT) to stop the fleeing vehicle. At that point, officers say Erickson raised his rifle and pointed it directly at a deputy, at which time two Forest Lake police officers and a Washington County deputy fired their weapons.
After determining he was no longer a threat to them first responders began lifesaving measures and Erickson was taken to Hennepin Healthcare, where he later died.
“While the death of an individual by deadly force is never to be taken lightly, there is no question that the actions of the officers in this matter were wholly justified,” said Hydukovich. “The need to take a human life deeply affects all of those involved, and these officers made every effort to avoid having to take that action,” he added.
In a press release sent out Friday, the Washington County Attorney's Office said "under the totality of the circumstances, the officers reasonably feared death or great bodily harm and were left with no means to deescalate the situation other than the use of deadly force."
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