St. Paul Officers Cleared After Shooting Murder Suspect at Intersection

Four St. Paul police officers were cleared of wrongdoing after shooting Earl Bennett, a man who was armed and posed an immediate threat by pointing a gun at officers and bystanders at a busy intersection last fall. The officers responded to calls of gunfire and found Bennett shirtless, barefoot, and holding a handgun to his head; despite multiple efforts to de-escalate and use less-lethal force, Bennett raised his weapon at the officers, prompting them to fire 31 rounds, hitting him 15 times. The Ramsey County Attorney's Office concluded that the use of deadly force was legally justified under Minnesota law, which allows officers to use such force to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm. Bennett survived but suffered serious injuries, including the amputation of his right leg. He was later charged with multiple counts of murder related to shootings in Minneapolis occurring the day before and the day of the St. Paul incident, charges unknown to the officers at the time of the shooting. The officers involved were Sgt. LaMichael Shead, Shawn Marlowe, Chase Robinson, and Blake Steffen, and their actions were deemed consistent with their training and necessary to neutralize the threat.