A Crystal man has been charged with attempted first-degree murder for shooting and injuring a Brooklyn Park Police officer during a domestic disturbance, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced.
Tyrice Depaul Laws, 38, was charged last week with attempted first-degree murder of a police officer, first-degree assault of a police officer, one count of violating an order for protection while possessing a firearm, and one count of possession of a firearm while the subject of an order for protection.
According to the criminal complaint, just after 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 11, police were called to a residence on the 6500 block of Georgia Avenue North in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, after the mother of Laws’ children called 911 to report that Laws was at her residence in violation of a protection order. Neither the victim nor her children were at the residence at the time, but she had observed Laws arrive on a surveillance livestream.
Two officers in separate squad cars responded to the scene and approached Laws’ vehicle from each side. Neither officer drew their service weapon as they approached, the complaint states. Laws then got out of his car, bent down, and reached into his vehicle before standing back up. Shortly after, Laws reached down again, pulled out a handgun, and pointed it at one of the officers.
Laws fired his gun five or six times at the officer, firing the first shot when he was 5 to 7 feet away, the complaint states. Both officers returned fire, and one officer fell to the ground. Laws retreated and fled into the backyard of the residence.
A number of police agencies responded to the area and a perimeter search was conducted for Laws who was found a short time later in the nearby area of Hwy. 81 and 63rd Avenue North, according to police dispatch reports. Laws was reported to have sustained a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the arm.
The officer was shot and has been transported to the hospital.
There's a large search perimeter setting up for the suspect who also has three warrants out of Hennepin County.— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) December 12, 2020
The officer who was shot was taken to the hospital and was treated for a gunshot wound to the hip and buttock, according to a subsequent press release by the Brooklyn Park Police Department. Laws was arrested and transported to Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) to be treated for a gunshot wound to his left bicep, the complaint states.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reviewed both squad video and body camera footage during its investigation into the officer shooting of Laws, which remains under investigation.
Laws was granted a public defender at his first court appearance and is being held on $1 million bail. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on the new charges on Jan. 12.
Laws also has at least three other open cases in Hennepin County and had warrants for failure to appear at hearings in all three cases at the time of his arrest. Two of the cases involve charges of damage to property and the other case involves charges of domestic assault, interfering with a 911 call and disorderly conduct. Laws had previously been released from custody with no bail required in all three cases.
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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.