St. Peter officer injured in shootout with suspect released from hospital, given police motorcade home
On Friday afternoon, it was a warm welcome on St. Peter, Minnesota streets, a gesture many thought was their duty to do. Residents in the community showed up to support an officer who was released from the hospital to recover at home.
The officer, identified by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as Austin Buss, was shot by a suspect earlier this month.
"I can't imagine being anywhere else right now," said Ann Volk of St. Peter.
The community packed the boulevard along Highway 169 for a hometown hero.
"I was just waving to them all, hoping that he saw us" said Karen Eastman of St. Peter.
On June 18, Buss was responding to a call which ended up in a standoff. The suspect, identified by officials as a 21-year-old man, shot him with a shotgun. Buss was hit in his arm and his ballistic vest likely saved his life.
"Well, I wanted to cry ... I'm just so glad that he's okay" said Barbara Luker of St. Peter, who was on the interview panel when Buss interviewed for his role.
Buss was treated at North Memorial Health in Robbinsdale, Minnesota, for the past week. He finally walked out in a sling on Friday with a row of officers outside the hospital, standing at attention. A motorcade brought him from the Twin Cities to the town of over 11,000.
"It's really nice to see that people are here trying to support his family because it must be the most catastrophic thing in their life," said Volk.
"People are hurt for him. They want to find ways they can help them," said Luker.
"Our daughter's in law enforcement here in town, too, and it was quite a tragedy to witness," added Volk.
Buss and Sgt. Dustin Struckman, a deputy with the Nicollet County Sheriff's Office who was also involved in the incident, have both been placed on critical incident leave.
The man who shot officer Buss was later found dead in the home where the incident happened. Police helped a woman and a girl get out of the home safely before bullets started flying.
