Top Stories of 2012, No. 3: Red Roof Inn Shooting, Hostage Standoff

Editor’s note: A number of follow-up pieces to this story were also among our top 20 most-read posts, and this was clearly the story of the year in Woodbury. The incident sparked discussion in the community about criminal activity at the motel, and the city’s police department has worked with management to deal with the issues at the Red Roof Inn. And click on the date below—there were more than 50 comments on the original story.

Here’s the story, .

Further updates:

Update: 11:15 a.m., Friday, Aug. 31

Details of the hostage standoff that left one man dead after being shot by police and another in custody were still unclear Friday morning.

Investigators are not sure what was going on in the room, and still don’t know who is a victim and who is a suspect. Some of the individuals involved—men and women—were assaulted.

“We know that there was a lot of criminal activity going on in that hotel room,” Public Safety Chief Lee Vague told reporters in front of the Red Roof Inn. “Serious criminal activity.”

There were about 12 people in the room at the Red Roof Inn at the time of the incident, said Drew Evans, senior special agent with the BCA.

“The events that transpired are complex,” he said.

Neither Vague nor Evans could elaborate on the nature of the crimes that led to the incident.

A gun was pointed at officers and a shot was fired, and police shot a man who later died at Regions Hospital.

The dispatcher who took the 911 call at about 1:10 a.m. Friday morning heard sounds of a struggle, Vague said.

The Washington County SWAT team was later able to negotiate a successful surrender early Friday morning, though authorities rehearsed an entry in another hotel room beforehand, Vague said.

Regarding the officers involved in the shooting, Vague said, “I trust their judgment.”

The BCA is assisting in the investigation and will also conduct an investigation of the shooting.

The last officer-involved shooting in Woodbury was about two years ago, Vague said, and there were two that year. Before that it had been a decade since the last time a Woodbury officer shot a suspect.

“This is a tough day for us,” Vague said.

Update: 9:30 a.m., Friday, Aug. 31

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety has confirmed that a hostage situation led to officers shooting and killing a person at the Red Roof Inn early Friday morning.

Officials from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension were processing the scene and Woodbury police were interviewing people at the motel.

One of the Red Roof Inn buildings was completely cordoned off.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting. A news conference is set to start shortly, where officials will provide an update on the investigation.

Original story

A person was killed in a shootout with Woodbury police at the Red Roof Inn during the early-morning hours of Friday, Aug. 31.

Police were called about a disturbance at the motel at about 1:10 a.m. this morning.

As they were investigating, a shot was fired and three officers returned gunfire, according to a release from the city.

Just before 5 a.m., the Washington County SWAT team took one suspect into custody, the release says. Additional people from the motel room are being interviewed.

The person who was shot was taken to Regions Hospital, was pronounced dead there, and was then transported to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office.

No officers were injured during the initial shooting incident, though one SWAT team member was treated for a minor injury during the tactical operation, according to the release.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is conducting the investigation. The identity of the police officers involved will not be released until after they are interviewed by the BCA. All three officers will be placed on paid administrative leave.

Patch will report more information as it becomes available.

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