Fatal 'Suicidal' Shooting In Lake Elmo: ACLU Speaks Out

WASHINGTON COUNTY, MN — The Minnesota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union is calling for more mental health and crisis response resources following the fatal officer-involved shooting in Lake Elmo last week. Washington County deputies were responding to a 911 call of a suicidal man just after midnight Thursday when they found Benjamin William Evans, 23, armed with a handgun near the intersection of Lake Elmo Avenue and 34th Street North.

Deputy Brian Krook fatally shot Evans after "less lethal" ammunition was used, police said. Krook, who has been with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for eight years, is on standard administrative leave.

According to the BCA’s preliminary investigation, when deputies made contact with Evans he was holding a gun and told officers he wanted to kill himself. Officers made repeated attempts to persuade him to put down the gun, according to the BCA.

Krook fired his weapon and hit Evans multiple times.

He was taken by ambulance to Regions Hospital where he was pronounced dead. BCA crime scene personnel recovered a handgun near Evans’ body. A "less lethal" beanbag shotgun was also found at the scene.

"Benjamin W. Evans is the third person killed by law enforcement in Minnesota in 2018," ACLU-MN Executive Director John Gordon said in a statement.

"Residents of Lake Elmo, as well as the broader Minnesota community, are grappling with yet another loss. We expect a transparent and timely investigation."

Gordon called for a strengthening of training for law enforcement who find themselves first responders to mental health incidents, but said "we also have to acknowledge the limits of de-escalation and mental health training for law enforcement."

Body cameras and dash cameras captured portions of the incident but not all of it, according to the BCA.

"Officers are simply not the most qualified people to respond to a mental health crisis," Gordon added. "We have to spend a lot more money on alternatives like mobile crisis units and community-based crisis services. And we should not be diverting money to expanding police forces that is needed for mental health and crisis response resources. We should be focused on reducing the number of people experiencing crises in the first place."

The Oakdale Police Department, Woodbury Public Safety Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Lake Elmo Fire Department and Lakeview Ambulance provided assistance at the scene early Thursday.

"We shouldn’t have to wait for police to kill another person in crisis to see meaningful reform."

Anyone who has additional information who has not spoken with investigators is asked to contact the BCA at (651) 793-7000. When complete, the BCA will present its findings to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, call (612) 379-6363 to reach Crisis Connection. You also can text "MN" to 741741 to connect with a trained counselor. Calls and texts are free and confidential.

Photo by Daniel Hubbard/Patch