Bodycam footage released by the St. Paul Police Department gives a graphic glimpse into a police shooting that left one man, Brett Kohl Fraser, 31, injured after officers responded to a reported sexual assault earlier this month. The chilling moments are now publicly scrutinized as the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) delves into the case, KSTP reports.
The incident, which has placed officer Josh Needham, an 11-year veteran of the force, on standard administrative leave as per protocol, unfolded in a fraught scene where Fraser, the suspect, was shot in a tight hallway after a confrontation with the responding officers. They answered a distress call about a domestic disturbance involving physical and sexual assault, Fraser purportedly armed with a handgun according to Hoodline.
The BCA has identified the officer involved in the shooting as Needham, following their standard practice of reviewing body camera footage and collecting evidence, which in this particular situation also included a replica handgun found in a backpack at the scene. Its connection to the parties involved currently remains unclear.
With Fraser now in custody receiving treatment for his wounded arm and subsequently released from the hospital, the local community along with law enforcement waits as the BCA wraps up an investigation that could bring consequential disclosures regarding police use of force.
