Man, 44, shot by Plymouth police officer pleads guilty to assault

A 44-year-old man who was shot by a Plymouth, Minnesota, police officer responding to a domestic disturbance call last November has pleaded guilty to assault, court records show.

The criminal complaint said the officer, identified by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as Jacob Coopet, responded on Nov. 25, 2025, to a report from a woman that an individual she believed was her ex-husband, later identified as Atanas Hristev, was knocking or trying to gain access to a window at her apartment.

Court documents said Coopet arrived at the apartment on Quinwood Lane North to see Hristev dressed in all black, walking away from the window and back towards the parking lot. Dash camera video shows him with a "fully extended arm pointing a pistol" at Coopet, the complaint says.

Coopet fired his gun and injured Hristev, according to court documents. Video also showed Hristev's 9mm Smith and Wesson fall next to him, the complaint says.

The woman reported to police that she "feared for her life" given Hristev's history of threatening her, according to court documents. The day before the shooting, she allegedly had filed a report with police in Champlin, Minnesota, to inform them about "Hristev's spiraling behavior" and that he owned guns.

According to a plea agreement filed in court on Tuesday, Hristev pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault. If the deal is accepted, the other count he was charged with in the incident, first-degree attempted burglary, will be dismissed.

Hristev is scheduled to be sentenced on June 17.  

For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.