Family IDs Victim Of Deadly Shakopee Police Shooting As James Hanchett
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is now investigating two Twin Cities officer-involved shootings in the last 24 hours.
The most recent happened just after 11 p.m. Friday in Shakopee. Officers responded to a fire alarm call on the 800 block of Apgar Street.
Beatriz Vera has lived in this Shakopee neighborhood for seven years.
"It's really quiet down, you know. It's just small little families, like, retired couples Like, nothing crazy ever happens," Vera said.
But late Friday night, she said her quiet neighborhood was startled
"I had seen a cop car drive by, kind of parked down the street a bit, lights were flashing and then another car showed up," she said.
Vera said minutes later, at about 11 p.m., she thought she heard someone yell "stop" before the sound of gunshots rang out.
"And then boom, boom, boom, shots are fired. I, like, was freaking out, my heart was racing, I'm like, 'Oh my gosh, was that really, like, gun shots happening?'"
Shakopee police say a man standing in the doorway of his home pointed a handgun at the them, and an officer "fearing for his life" fired.
The man, that family has identified as James Hanchett, was killed.
"He wasn't trouble at all, he just kept to himself," Vera said.
Family told WCCO-TV Hanchett was a great person, and wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone. They said it was too early to make any kind of judgement.
"For this to happen, it's just overwhelming," Vera said.
According to police, the officers involved were wearing body cameras and were recording at the time of the incident. A handgun was recovered from the scene.
Life-saving efforts were immediately performed to try to save Hanchett, but he died later at the hospital.
Earlier Friday afternoon, Minneapolis police shot and killed a man believed to be suicidal, and who officers say threatened them with a weapon.