A chaotic scene played out in Roseville Tuesday night that left one officer seriously wounded with a gunshot to the face and the suspect dead.
Police were dispatched about 7:40 p.m. Tuesday to the 2900 block of West Owasso Boulevard in Roseville, Minn., on multiple reports of gunshots being fired.
When police arrived in the area, officers reported hearing continuous gunfire with approximately one shot every five seconds, according to police dispatch audio from the incident. Police proceeded to shut down roads in the area to stop traffic from coming into the area.
Within several minutes, officers continued to report hearing several more shots and made comments indicating that they were familiar with the suspected shooter.
Police asked the dispatcher to contact area residents and ask them to shelter in place and asked for a SWAT team to respond.
Within minutes of responding, police reported that they were taking gunfire with multiple shots over their heads, and then an officer was struck by gunfire.
A compilation of the police dispatch audio from the chaotic incident was posted online.
(Audio recording courtesy of North East Twin Cities Scanner)
Police called for medics to respond to the scene urgently for the officer, but dispatch audio eventually indicated that the injured officer was being transported to the hospital by other officers.
Officers continued to take gunfire throughout the course of the incident, which went on for nearly an hour.
At one point, the dispatcher aired that the suspect was on the phone with 911. Police asked for a negotiator to respond, as well as a BearCat armored tactical vehicle.
Officers eventually observed the suspect and stated that they could see him in the middle of the road. Shots continued to be fired at officers. Police finally stated that they could see the suspect in the back yard of a house and were giving him commands.
One officer reported that the suspect was “down” in the yard and that they were taking him into custody just after 8:30 p.m. They also asked the dispatcher to inform medics that the suspect had sustained a “catastrophic wound to the groin area.”
A massive law enforcement presence remained at the scene for hours following the incident.
Roseville Police Chief Erika Scheider gave a press briefing Wednesday morning and said that the injured officer would not be named at the time but that he had been with the department for nearly three years and was well respected. She stated that the officer had been struck in the face by gunfire and at the time he was in stable condition.
Chief Scheider said that over 100 rounds had been fired over several blocks during the course of the incident and several homes were struck by gunfire.
The chief confirmed that officers encountered continuous gunfire and were unable to determine where the shots were coming from as the suspect was in a concealed position in a wooded residential area
Chief Scheider also stated that law enforcement was familiar with the suspect, a 53-year-old white male, through prior contacts, and that the suspect was known to have mental health issues.
The chief didn’t name the suspect, but KSTP reported the suspect to be Jesse Werling and said police had been to Werling’s house about 15 times prior. KSTP reported that Werling had a history of incidents involving violent outbursts and threatening behavior. Werling had also been committed twice for mental health treatment in 2018 and 2019, they said.
Chief Scheider said that more information would be released in the coming days about the suspect and the department’s history with him.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has taken the lead in the investigation into this incident and further updates will be issued by them, Chief Scheider said.
A source told Alpha News late Wednesday that the injured officer has a bullet lodged in his jaw but is able to talk and is doing okay.
Alpha News will continue to follow developments in this story.
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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.
