Details have emerged regarding the use-of-force incident involving St. Paul police officers and a man named Elliot Vaughn on December 21. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified Vaughn, 32, from Minneapolis, as the individual at the center of the episode. Officers involved in the shooting have been placed on critical incident leave, which is protocol in such circumstances.
The BCA's initial findings, running up a highway ramp after a disabled carjacking, Vaughn allegedly produced a handgun and pointed it at the trailing officers. This action prompted Officer Matthew Foy, with 11 years of law enforcement experience, and Officer Byron Treangen III, a six-year veteran, to discharge their firearms, striking Vaughn in the leg. According to details provided by the BCA, the officers then administered medical aid before Vaughn was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.
The incident unfolded after an auto theft report led police to a stolen Buick Envista, tracked electronically by General Motors. When the vehicle entered Interstate 94 from Highway 52, General Motors remotely disabled it, causing the female passenger and Vaughn to flee on foot in separate directions. In the wake of the shooting, BCA crime scene personnel found a handgun at the location and obtained video from squad car cameras and officers' body cams as evidence.
With the investigation ongoing, the St. Paul Police Department has requested the BCA to conduct a thorough review of the use-of-force incident. Once completed, the findings will be submitted to the Ramsey County Attorney's Office without recommendation for further review. No additional injuries were reported in the ordeal, and the BCA assures that a comprehensive examination of the incident will be carried out.
