Officer shot, man killed in Woodbury
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A 55-year-old man died after exchanging shots with and injuring a police officer at a home in Woodbury, authorities said Friday.
Woodbury Police Chief Lee Vague identified the man as Timothy Scott Hanson. Vague did not release the name of the officer but said he was recovering well at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
According to police, officers were called to the home at 7200 Braemar Lane at about 11:30 p.m. Thursday to respond to a domestic disturbance.
The officer was shot shortly after arriving and suffered non-life threatening injuries. Vague declined to elaborate on the officer's injuries, saying an investigation led by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is ongoing.
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He also gave no details about what had led up to the police call and said investigators were still trying to piece together the sequence of events.
Vague said police had made several visits to the home in the past few years, including to respond to domestic calls.
"Domestic calls are one of the more common calls we take, certainly one of the most important types of calls we take and at times it can be one of the more dangerous calls we take," he said.
Vague said the goal in responding to domestic abuse calls is to protect victims, but it's always possible that the suspect will be armed and force the responding officers to protect themselves.
"That's exactly what happened in this situation," he said. "Any loss of life is obviously a very tragic situation. This is a situation that police officers hope they never have to encounter in their career."
Still, Vague said there's a sense of relief in his department that the officer who was shot is expected to fully recover. Vague spoke Friday with the officer, who he said was conscious and alert.
"The officer is doing very, very well," he said.
The incident in Woodbury is among several cases in which an officer was killed or wounded while responding to a domestic dispute. Just last September, North St. Paul officer Richard Crittenden was shot and killed while responding to a domestic disturbance at an apartment building.
