St. Paul police release video of officers shooting murder suspect who appeared to point gun

St. Paul police released footage Friday of the moment officers converged upon and shot a man wanted for murdering his pregnant ex-wife after he appeared to point a gun at them.

The police department’s body worn and dash camera footage shows officers Matthew Foy and Eric Jaworski speed towards Stowers in their squad car at around 1:45 p.m. on Nov. 9. Stowers, 36, was wanted for allegedly killing his pregnant ex-wife, Damara Alexis Stowers, 35, who was found dead in her North End apartment on Oct. 19. An anonymous tipster said Stowers was on a bike at a laundromat in the West Seventh neighborhood that day, and the caller confirmed the bicyclist was Stowers as officers waited to verify his identity.

Foy’s engine roared as they sped through the 1100 block of West Seventh Street towards Stowers, stopping about 30 yards from him. That’s when investigators with the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension say Stowers raised a gun at police. A gun was found near the spot outside where he was shot, the agency said.

Jaworski shot five times through Foy’s front windshield as they screeched to a stop, shattering glass with bullets that appeared to strike Stowers. Foy exited the car moments afterwards, shooting four times towards Stowers before reporting that shots were fired.

Stowers turned and ran before Jaworski fire a fifth shot, sending Stowers to the ground. The video then showed four officers approach Stowers with their guns drawn.

“What the [expletive] is going on?” a witness standing yards from Stowers said as police converged on the scene. Jaworski yelled at Stowers to stay still as they approached.

Stowers was taken to Regions Hospital but died some time later. More than six officers were placed on administrative leave, standard procedure for police shootings investigated by the BCA. No other injuries from the shooting.

“We are committed to the sanctity of the independent investigation; we are also committed to the transparency of our actions. That’s why we are releasing the body-worn camera (BWC) and in car camera footage from this incident. No one wants apprehensions to result in the use of force of any kind. Not using force is always our goal—and is the outcome of the majority of our officers’ interactions.” said St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry. “We grieve with the families impacted, our community, and our officers. We hope that with working together as a community, we can prevent these outcomes in the future.”

Prosecutors charged Stowers with two counts of second-degree murder after he allegedly killed Damara Stowers and her unborn child before shooting and carjacking a man while fleeing. He was released from prison earlier this year after serving 16 years for killing a man during a drug deal gone wrong, and was granted a pass to visit his ex on the day he reportedly killed her. His death comes weeks after officers shot Earl Bennett, a 40-year-old charged with killing three people at a Minneapolis homeless encampment. Camera footage released from the shooting show Bennett pace across University Avenue with no shoes, no shirt, and a gun to his head. Police fired when Bennett pointed his gun at officers, sending him to the hospital in critical but stable condition. He remains in police custody.