MPR’s Tim Nelson provides details on Mendota Heights police Officer Scott Patrick being shot and killed Wednesday in West St. Paul during what police termed a routine traffic stop. By nightfall, authorities had captured a suspect they sought in the killing.
Awarded:
2014 MBJA Eric Sevareid Award, second place in Spot News - Large Market Radio category
SPEAKER: A Mendota Heights police officer was shot and killed earlier this afternoon. A number of witnesses and the West Saint Paul neighborhood, where he was killed, described hearing shots fired and seeing an officer down by his squad car. Mendota Heights Police just gave a statement and reporter Tim Nelson was there. He joins me now with the latest. Tim, good afternoon.
TIM NELSON: Hi, Tom.
TOM CRANN: What do we know about the officer? They identified him, correct?
TIM NELSON: Well, Mendota Heights Police Chief Mike Aschenbrener came out just a minute ago and identified him as Scott Patrick. He's a 19 year veteran of the police department here. He's actually the most senior officer on the department, the chief said this afternoon. He's been working here since 1995. He's 47 years old. He leaves behind a wife and two teenage children. He was doing a routine traffic stop this afternoon, just two blocks outside of Mendota Heights in West Saint Paul when he was shot and killed.
TOM CRANN: Now, what else did they say about the incident? And what was happening earlier this afternoon?
TIM NELSON: Well, this started, apparently, about 12:20 this afternoon. They aren't saying a lot about it other than it was a routine traffic stop. It isn't clear if Officer Patrick knew who was in the car or knew who he was stopping. We talked to some witnesses who said, it was just a sunny suburban afternoon there just south of the Saint Paul-- west Saint Paul line there. When shots rang out, they heard at least three shots in the neighborhood around Dog Road and Smith Avenue and rushed to see the officer down in the street. People were leading this aid. But sadly, it was too late.
TOM CRANN: Now police still searching for a suspect, or suspects. What do we know about that operation?
TIM NELSON: Yeah, Tom, there's been a pretty significant manhunt across the southern metro here this afternoon, and it started at the scene. Most of the area around Smith and Dodd is taped off. We've seen SWAT and heavily armed officers at another location, another house nearby that's believed to be connected with the suspect. There was a brief chase on 494 this afternoon with a car thought to be similar to the one involved in the stop.
But both the State Patrol and police spokesman here said that was not connected. That was not the similar car, but it was not the suspect they were looking for. That said, they have identified someone they are looking for. He's 39-year-old Brian Fitch Senior. They are asking people who might know where he is. So please contact police. They aren't saying he's responsible for this at this point. No one has been charged or arrested. But they would like to know the whereabouts of this gentleman. He lives in the south Saint Paul, west Saint Paul area.
They're asking people that might know where he is to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. And they are offering a reward. They're just telling people to, please, if you see or know of him, to let them, not to approach him, not to do anything else, but just let police know. They're also going to put out a picture of him here in a few minutes. So you might be able to get a little better idea of who he is.
TOM CRANN: Now witnesses there in that area of West Saint Paul, what did they have to say at the time of the shooting?
TIM NELSON: I talked to some neighbors there this afternoon, and it was a very grim afternoon. One of them was walking nearby, heard the shots and saw people running towards her, pleading for help, asking for a phone to call 911. She walked up and saw the officer down beside his squad car and an open door, wasn't moving. I talked to another neighbor Mike Jones Eunice, who lives just about a block away. He was sitting in his living room, and he heard the shots, got up and went down the street to look.
He got close enough that he could see Officer Patrick down. He could see that he had suffered what he believed to be a mortal head wound. There was a nurse trying there, trying to revive him. But he said that both of them could see pretty clearly that it wasn't going to be much use. So he was taken to Regions Hospital in Saint Paul, where he was pronounced dead. They have closed off the area there, and it remains active part of the investigation now.
TOM CRANN: Mendota Heights is a relatively small suburb of Saint Paul and a pretty small police department. Give us an idea of what kind of toll this has taken?
TIM NELSON: Well, as was the case up in cold spring, you may remember that from a couple of years ago, when Officer Decker was killed up there, these are often just a couple of dozen officers. They didn't have a head count here this afternoon, an exact head count. But, as the chief said, this is their senior patrol officer. He has been here for decades, and people in the city and the neighborhoods are going to be very familiar with him. This is going to be, as the mayor of Mendota Heights here said, devastating, both the department and the community.
TOM CRANN: Tim Nelson, thank you very much for the update. I appreciate it.
TIM NELSON: You're welcome.
Materials created/edited/published by Archive team as an assigned project during remote work period and in office during fiscal 2021-2022 period.
Views and opinions expressed in the content do not represent the opinions of APMG. APMG is not responsible for objectionable content and language represented on the site. Please use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report a piece of content. Thank you.
Transcriptions provided are machine generated, and while APMG makes the best effort for accuracy, mistakes will happen. Please excuse these errors and use the "Contact Us" button if you'd like to report an error. Thank you.