20-06-2025
Officers who shot, injured chainsaw-wielding man during Brooklyn Center domestic disturbance call identified
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Friday identified the officers who shot and injured a Brooklyn Center man who is accused of wielding a chainsaw amid a domestic disturbance call last week.
According to the BCA, officers went to the 3200 block of 63rd Avenue North around 10:30 p.m. on a report that someone was inside "armed with knives." A woman had asked for help removing a 23-year-old man from the home; the man also called 911 to report his mother was holding a knife.
During the course of the investigation, the woman was arrested on suspicion of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, the BCA says. Charging documents for her son say she had tried to stab him. After she was arrested, the man went back inside the home and armed himself with a chainsaw.
Officers negotiated with the man for an "extended period," the BCA says. Brooklyn Park Police Sergeant Juel Lund and officer Derek Wodnick fired 40mm "less-lethal" launchers during the negotiation, and Crystal Police Officer Isaiah Gorman deployed PepperBall rounds.
Lund has 20 years of law enforcement experience, while Wodnick has one-and-a-half years. According to the BCA, Gorman has three years of law enforcement experience.
The man then came out of the home and started the chainsaw. Charging documents say despite orders from police to drop the chainsaw, he ran towards officers with it.
Brooklyn Center police officers Austin Burt and Tarik Kekic shot at him, the BCA says. He was taken to the hospital where he remains in stable condition.
Burt has one-and-a-half years of experience while Kekic has six years of experience, according to the BCA. The four Brooklyn Center officers are all on critical incident leave. The BCA says the shooting was captured on body camera video.
The 23-year-old was charged with two counts of second-degree assault and two counts of making threats of violence. It is not clear if the woman also faces charges.
The BCA is still investigating.
For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
