Police chief takes ‘decisive’ action against officer who shot unarmed naked man hiding in dumpster

‘Lives have been altered. A person has been shot,’ police chief Todd Axtell says

A Minnesota police chief has taken “swift, decisive and serious action” against a police officer who shot and wounded an unarmed naked man who was hiding in a dumpster.

Chief Todd Axtell explained on Tuesday at a news conference that 31-year-old Joseph Javonte Washington was shot on Saturday night during a confrontation with officers.

In the body camera footage released of the incident, a female officer attempts to coax Mr Washington out of the dumpster and onto the ground.  

The man then exits the dumpster and an officer can be heard shouting “don’t run” and seconds later shots are heard. The man is then seen being bitten by a police dog on the ground while shouting.

“When I asked myself if the officer’s actions on Saturday night were reasonable and necessary the only answer I could come up with is ‘No’," Chief Axtell said at a press conference on Tuesday.

During the incident police other police officers reported to have deployed tasers and a pepper ball gun in an attempt to subdue the suspect.

Mr Washington was being sought as a suspect in connection with an alleged sexual assault and kidnapping several hours earlier in Lakeville.

He has since been charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of kidnapping, and one count of second-degree assault.

The 31-year-old is recovering in hospital after suffering three gunshot wounds to the leg and one to the abdomen, police said.

Chief Axtell said state law precludes him from releasing details of the action taken against the officer, who has been identified by state investigators as Officer Anthony Dean.

WCCO and The Star Tribune both reported that Mr Dean had been fired, citing anonymous sources. 

“Lives have been altered. A person has been shot, the community is feeling the effects of an officer-involved shooting. An officer that has served honorably in the past has had his life changed forever,” Chief Axtell said in the conference, according to WCCO.

Robert Paule, the attorney for Officer Anthony Dean, released a statement pushing back against the account given by Chief Axtell on Wednesday, The Star Tribune reported.

In the statement, Mr Paule said the officer had reason to believe the suspect was armed and that many attempts to de-escalate the situation were not shown in the released body camera footage.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the shooting said Mr Washington had no weapons or other possessions when he emerged from the dumpster.

Police were told that a man was holding a steak knife to a woman’s neck when responding to the call, the Associated Press previously reported.

No officers were injured and all of those involved had been placed on a standard administrative leave following the shooting as part of standard procedure.

Additional reporting by the Associated Press