Chaska Man Charged Following Officer Involved Shooting in Brooklyn Park

A Chaska man on supervised release for a weapons conviction is facing three felony charges after reportedly firing shots at officers in a Brooklyn Park Walmart parking lot on Monday.

James Howard Klein

A Chaska Minnesota man on supervised release for a weapons conviction is facing three felony charges after reportedly firing shots at officers in a Brooklyn Park Walmart parking lot midday on Monday.

Just after noon on Monday, reports started coming out about an officer involved shooting in the parking lot of the Brooklyn Park Walmart on the 8000 block of Lakeland Avenue North. The Brooklyn Park Police Department later confirmed the incident in a post on their Facebook page.

The post stated that officers had responded to the location on a report of a suspicious person. Upon making contact with the suspect, later identified as James Howard Klein, a confrontation ensued between the officers and the suspect. Klein began to flee while firing shots at the officers and officers returned fire, striking Klein.

Klein was admitted to a local hospital for injuries to his leg and hand that were not considered serious, according to one report, and the investigation was taken over by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Klein, 32, was charged in Hennepin County on Wednesday with two counts of first-degree assault involving deadly force against a peace officer and one count of felon in possession of a firearm.

Klein has several prior convictions for narcotics, the most recent in 2013 also involved weapons. Klein was convicted after being found with methamphetamine, marijuana and oxycodone, as well as a firearm, ammunition and $8,000 in counterfeit currency. 

Klein was convicted by a jury in that case and sentenced to nearly 12 years in prison. Minnesota only requires that inmates serve two-thirds of their sentence incarcerated, so Klein was placed on supervised release (Minnesota’s version of parole) in August 2019 after serving just over seven years. 

Klein’s conviction in that case makes him ineligible to possess firearms or ammunition.

Klein, whose address on booking is listed on the 9300 block of Pierson Lake Drive in Chaska, is listed in custody in Hennepin County Jail and scheduled to make his first court appearance on Thursday, March 19. A bail amount has not yet been set.

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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.

Crime Watch MN

Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.