HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 02-16 Roseville police shoot and kill man who stabbed K9 police dog MAPLEWOOD REVIEW 2/16/2016 Roseville police shoot and kill man who stabbed K9 police dog I Lillie Suburban Newspapers-Lil I ieNews.com
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Roseville police shot and killed a 52-year-old Roseville man identified as John Birkeland after he attacked a K9 police dog
with a knife while officers were responding to a disturbance call at an apartment building the evening of Feb. 10.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting.
According to a statement from the Roseville Police Department,at about 10 p.m., police responded to a complaint about loud
noises coming from a third-floor apartment in the 1600 block of County Road B in Roseville.
Arriving officers spoke to residents who said they had heard 10 to 15 minutes of yelling,glass breaking and objects being
thrown in Birkeland's apartment.The release said residents described Birkeland as having a history of"mental outbursts."
Officers listened through the door of Birkeland's apartment;one officer,the release said,described his tone of voice as
"agitated and distressed."
Officers knocked on the door and announced their presence multiple times,the release said,with Birkeland alternately not
answering,telling police he was"fine,"and seemingly talking to another, unknown person. He also said he needed money,
and that his wallet had been lost or that he had been robbed.
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2/16/2016 Roseville police shoot and kill man who stabbed K9 police dog I Lillie Suburban Newspapers-Lil I ieNews.com
Birkeland eventually stopped communicating with police,the report said. In the meantime, police learned Birkeland's name
—it was unkown at first—and discovered he had an open Ramsey County misdemeanor warrant forgiving false information
to police.
The release said that based on the situation, including the noise,the warrant and the officers' uncertainty as to whether
another unknown person inside was in danger, police forced their way into the apartment.
K9 arrives
Before police entered the apartment,the release said a K9 officer and his dog arrived. Upon entry, police announced the
canine would be used to search the apartment.
The dog alerted police that someone was hiding in the apartment's bedroom closet,the release said.When police ordered
the person out of the closet, Birkeland emerged and allegedly stabbed the canine in the head with a kitchen knife measuring
8 to 10 inches.
Two officers, K9 Officer John Jorgensen and Officer Kyle Eckert,opened fire on Birkeland,the release said, because they
feared for their safety and the life of the dog. Police attempted life support aid on Birkeland but he was pronounced dead at
the scene.
K9 Otis,who was stabbed,was checked out at a veterinary hospital and sent home,the release said,where he is recovering
with Jorgensen, his handler.
Jorgensen,an 18-year veteran of the Roseville Police Department,and Eckert,a four-year veteran,along with three other
officers who witnessed the shooting were placed on standard three-day administrative leave.
Roseville police,the release said, had four encounters with Birkeland in 2015, including most recently on Dec. 12,when he
was arrested and booked forgiving false information to an officer.
Prior fatal shooting
Both Jorgensen and Eckert,along with a third Roseville officer,were named as officers who fired their guns during the
October 2014 police shooting of a man at a mobile home park in St.Anthony Village.
The man was killed after he burst out of a trailer home holding a rifle,following an hours-long standoff during which St.
Anthony police called for help from neighboring police departments.
Eckert also was among four officers named in a$500,000 police brutality Iawsuitfiled against Roseville thatwas settled for
$60,000 last year.The suit stemmed from a traffic stop for speeding,when a passenger,who spoke limited English,was
allegedly dragged out of the vehicle by police and punched and kicked.
Another of Jorgensen's K9 partners,a dog named Major,was stabbed multiple times and paralyzed by a burglary suspect
while responding to a burglary call at a business in Maplewood in November 2010.As a direct result of those injuries, Major
was euthanized in April 2013.
Mike Munzenrider can be reached at mmunzenrider(a7lillienews.com or 651-748-7813. Follow him on
Twitter a&mmunzenrider.
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