The man shot and killed on a St. Michael road Saturday was identified today by a report from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Jeffrey Lynn Chapman, 67, of Albertville was shot and killed when he exited his vehicle while parked on Ivory Road in St. Michael after a traffic stop was initiated by Wright County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Austin Feenstra. The filing also states Feenstra initiated the stop because it appeared Chapman had changed a letter on his license plate from a letter “C” to the letter “O.”
The BCA report Chapman did not immediately pull over when Deputy Feenstra initiated the stop, instead leading him to the backroad in a rarely-traveled St. Michael neighborhood. When he did, Chapman exited the car with a 9-inch pipe and did not obey commands from the officer, leading Feenstra to determine that he was in danger, and ultimately he fired his weapon.
Chapman was struck in the torso and died at the scene, shortly before 5 a.m. Saturday, March 2.
A search of the vehicle found another pocket knife and ammunition, the BCA report states.
While deputies responding to the call to back up Feenstra did support life-saving measures, Chapman did not respond. Feenstra has been placed on administrative leave – which is a standard procedure for WCSO in an officer-involved shooting.
Note: This story has been updated to correct information regarding the suspect’s weapon(s).