DULUTH, Minn. — A Duluth police officer who had been placed on paid leave following two alleged incidents of sexual assault has left the force.

The Duluth Police Department had previously attempted to terminate the employment of officer Tyler Leibfried following an unrelated incident in which he shot an unarmed man through the closed door of an apartment building in September 2020. But Leibfried was found not guilty of two criminal charges subsequently brought against him and wound up being reinstated as an officer in 2023.

On Dec. 10, 2025, Duluth police confirmed Leibfried was under investigation anew, this time for allegations of sexual assault leveled by two separate women — one involving a November 2024 incident and another reported in 2021.

When contacted by the Duluth News Tribune last week with a request for an update on Leibfried’s employment status, DPD public information officer Mattie Hjelseth responded: “Effective Dec. 23, Officer Leibfried is no longer employed by the Duluth Police Department. No further information is available per MN State Statute 13.43.”

She declined to elaborate or to characterize the nature of Leibfried’s departure as the result of either a resignation, negotiated settlement or termination.

Andrew Park, president of Duluth Police LELS Local 538 — which represents rank-and-file officers at the Duluth Police Department — confirmed that “Tyler Leibfried is no longer employed by the city of Duluth. The police union has no further comment on the matter.”

The St. Louis County Attorney’s Office looked into the sexual assault allegations against Leibfried and declined to file criminal charges against him, but Leibfried still could have faced disciplinary measures for any actions deemed to violate city and police department policies/standards.

In a previous statement, Police Chief Mike Ceynowa said: “We take allegations against our officers very seriously and investigate each complaint thoroughly.”

Leibfried, 33, joined the DPD in 2016 and at least 20 complaints have been filed against him during his tenure, according to records previously released to the News Tribune.

He became the first-known law enforcement officer in the area to stand trial for an on-duty shooting but was acquitted in April 2022 on two felony charges related to the injury of then-23-year-old Jared Fyle at the Kingsley Heights apartment building in downtown Duluth.

Leibfried was responding to a report of a domestic disturbance in the building and was startled by a loud bang that emanated from the closed door of an apartment. Leibfried testified that he “100%” believed the sound was a gunshot and feared for his own safety, as well as that of his police partner at the time. He fired at the door repeatedly, striking Fyle in the shoulder.

Last year, Fyle received a $600,000 legal settlement from the city to resolve an outstanding federal lawsuit related to the case.

Even though Leibfried was cleared of criminal charges, Duluth police leadership sought to terminate his employment on the grounds that he had violated department use-of-force policies by shooting through a closed door. The Duluth Police Union successfully grieved the decision, returning Leibried to his job.

Both allegations of sexual assault stem from accusations of Leibfried trying to take advantage of women while intoxicated.

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