The Wright County Sheriff's Office faces scrutiny following a deputy-involved shooting that left a 67-year-old man dead. The incident, which occurred in Saint Michael on March 2nd, saw Jeffrey Chapman of Albertville fatally shot after a police pursuit for erratic driving. Chapman succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds inflicted by Deputy Austin Feenstra, with about 10 months of law enforcement under his belt, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Officials described the confrontation between Feenstra and Chapman as starting around 4:45 a.m. and involving high-speed chases and irregular driving patterns. After halting his vehicle, the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office confirmed that Chapman advanced on Feenstra who issued warnings unsuccessfully. It was during this encounter that the man, wielding a metal pipe that was initially reported as a knife, was shot multiple times by Feenstra.
The shooting has raised questions due to the lack of body camera footage; the Wright County Sheriff's Office has not equipped deputies with such devices. However, evidence recovered at the scene by BCA crime scene personnel included a nine-inch metal pipe and cartridge casings. While Feenstra mistakenly reported over the radio that Chapman wielded a knife, he later clarified it was a pipe upon attempting medical assistance. A folding knife was found in Chapman's car but was not at play in the altercation, as per the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Amid an ongoing investigation, the BCA is combing through the footage captured by a squad car camera that witnessed only portions of the incident. The lack of complete video evidence casts a shadow over the events, leaving the BCA and Wright County Sheriff's Office to depend on physical evidence and Feenstra's account.
