Three St. Paul police officers have been placed on leave after exchanging gunfire Friday with a shooting suspect who eventually died by suicide inside a grocery store.
Authorities identified the man the officers exchanged gunfire with as Tevin Marcel Bellaphant, 32, of St. Paul. The Star Tribune was unable to reach his family Wednesday.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) on Wednesday identified the officers as Christopher Leon and Melissa Leistikow, along with Sgt. Megan Kosloske. All three have between five and 10 years of experience.
It is standard procedure for officers to be placed on leave for incidents that involve use of force by police and the death or severe injury of a member of the public.
According to the BCA’s preliminary investigation:
St. Paul police were dispatched to the 1500 block of Jessamine Lane shortly after 11:30 a.m. Friday after receiving a report of a man assaulting a female relative and firing a gun in the home. The man, later identified as Bellaphant, then took a 4-year-old child without permission and left.
Police located Bellaphant and the child inside an Aldi grocery store on the 1100 block of Clarence Street. Bellaphant shoved an officer and fled, leaving the child behind.
On his way out the store, Bellaphant fired at officers. Leistikow and Kosloske returned fire. After exiting, Bellaphant fired at Leon, who also returned fire and pursued on foot.
