A handgun went off during a struggle between a suspect and Mankato police officers early Sunday in downtown Mankato, but no one was hurt.
According to KEYC, officers responded around 12:30 a.m. Sunday to the 500 block of South Front Street after a report of two people involved in a physical altercation. When officers arrived, they saw one of the individuals holding a handgun, and that person took off on foot, prompting a pursuit, the station reports.
Officers caught up with the man, and a struggle broke out as they tried to take him into custody, per the same account. During that struggle, the suspect's handgun discharged, but no injuries were reported as a result of the gunfire.
St. Paul Man Arrested, Taken for Evaluation
Police identified the suspect as 29-year-old Justice Arness Tryon of St. Paul. He was arrested and transported to a local hospital for a precautionary medical evaluation, the station notes. The incident remains under investigation, and criminal charges against Tryon are still pending.
A Minneapolis Park Police Incident
The Mankato case echoes a recent incident in Minneapolis, where a Park Police officer's gun discharged once while still holstered during a fight with a sexual assault suspect, according to KSTP. That officer was taken to Hennepin Healthcare with a minor lower-arm injury, though investigators had not determined whether it was a gunshot wound, KSTP reported. The suspect in that case was not hurt, and the Minneapolis Police Department led the investigation into what happened.
Both cases underscore how quickly a struggle over a firearm can turn into a dangerous, confusing scene.
