A 42-year-old from St. Paul was the man who a police officer fatally shot in West St. Paul after he’d shot at law enforcement, authorities said Wednesday.

St. Paul police informed West St. Paul police about 11 a.m. Aug. 28 that they intended to arrest Jerry Va Thao at a home in the 1200 block of Ottawa Avenue in West St. Paul, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a statement about their preliminary investigation.

Thao was wanted for multiple felony warrants and was suspected of violating an order for protection a day earlier, the BCA said. Law enforcement confirmed he was in the home’s basement and, despite their repeated requests, he didn’t exit.

The multi-jurisdictional South Metro SWAT Team responded.

“Over several hours, negotiators had limited contact with Thao, who began firing at officers, striking a ballistic shield and a SWAT vehicle,” the BCA statement said. “Officers continued attempts to communicate with Thao and deployed chemical irritants into the home but Thao remained inside.”

The BCA said they found two firearms, cartridge casings and a damaged ballistic shield at the scene.

Apple Valley Sgt. Sean Marben, a SWAT team member, was positioned on a SWAT vehicle and saw Thao armed at the bottom of the basement stairs about 6:30 p.m., the BCA said. Marben fired his department-issued firearm and shot Thao.

Thao was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Apple Valley Police Department placed Marben, who has eight years of law enforcement experience, on critical incident leave, which is standard in such a case.

Officers were wearing body-worn cameras, which were recording. The BCA investigation continues.

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