St. Cloud man gets nearly 16 years in prison for shooting through wall during standoff

ST. CLOUD – A Stearns County judge on Friday sentenced a St. Cloud man to nearly 16 years in prison for shooting a gun through a wall where officers were staged during an eight-hour standoff at the man’s apartment three years ago.

Shawn L. Jacobs, 39, was charged with 12 felony counts following the May 24, 2022, incident where he shot a gun through the wall of his apartment where nine officers had been standing shortly before he discharged the weapon, according to a criminal complaint filed against Jacobs.

Prior to the shooting, members of the Central Minnesota Violent Offender Task Force had raided his apartment in the 2700 block of 16th Street S., on suspicion he was distributing methamphetamine and other controlled substances from the residence, as well as unlawfully possessing firearms.

Jacobs’ criminal history includes multiple assault convictions, which prohibited him from possessing firearms or ammunition at the time.

After an officer knocked on the door and announced the search warrant and presence of law enforcement, Jacobs reportedly threatened to shoot the officers and fired one round from inside his apartment, court documents said. No one was hurt in the incident.

After hours of negotiation, Jacobs left his apartment and was arrested. During a search of his apartment, officers found guns, a “large amount of methamphetamine [Jacobs] tried to flush,” and other drugs and paraphernalia, the complaint said.

In October, Jacobs pleaded guilty to two felony counts of first-degree assault against a peace officer as part of a plea agreement that dropped the remaining 10 counts.

In addition to the prison sentence, Judge Shan Wang ordered Jacobs to pay $950 in restitution; the amount is based on Jacobs’ ability to pay the fee.