A man shot multiple times by police Monday in a busy Woodbury shopping center was wielding a pistol-style BB gun when confronted by officers, according to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The shooting happened Monday morning in the parking lot at Target in Woodbury Village, near the intersection of Interstate 494 and Valley Creek Drive.

Donald Roche, 63, remains hospitalized in serious condition, the BCA said in a release with further details from the preliminary investigation.

The officers who fired at him were Washington County sheriff’s deputy Brian Krook and Woodbury police officer James Stoffel. Both are on standard administrative leave, the BCA said.

According to the agency, Woodbury police license plate readers spotted a car in the Target lot that was connected to a felony-level crime. A person associated with the vehicle also was wanted in connection with a felony-level crime. Officers found no one in the vehicle, but, as they were investigating, Roche returned to it.

Roche “fought with officers when they attempted to arrest him,” Woodbury Public Safety Director Jason Posel said in a release earlier this week

The officers saw the man had a handgun and officers “backed off,” at which point the man barricaded himself in the vehicle, the BCA press release said.

Police called the Washington County SWAT team, which negotiated with Roche and used less-than-lethal force, including 40 millimeter and PepperBall chemical irritants, to get him to surrender.

“Roche got out of the vehicle, ignored commands from the officers, and again pulled out what looked like a handgun and pointed it in their direction,” the BCA release said. “That’s when Stoffel fired his rifle and Krook fired his department handgun. Roche was struck by the gunfire.”

Officers provided medical aid at the scene until Roche could be taken to the hospital for treatment.

The BCA is reviewing all available video, including footage from body worn and squad car cameras. It is also working to determine the exact nature of the alert on the license plates that summoned law enforcement and how it is connected to the vehicle and Roche.

According to the BCA, Krook has 13 years of law enforcement experience and Stoffel has 11.

The officers who used nonlethal force were:

Woodbury police officer Scott Melander, who has 27 years of law enforcement experience.
Woodbury police officer Matthew Noren, who has 19 years of law enforcement experience.
Cottage Grove police officer Benjamin Deitner, who has five years of law enforcement experience.
Cottage Grove police officer Matthew Sorgaard, who has eight years of law enforcement experience.

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