ST. PAUL, MN – A confrontation in St. Paul led to an officer and a suspect both sustaining injuries from a gunfight on Thursday, according to the police. The injured officer, confirmed by several law enforcement sources as Michael Tschida, was shot in the ankle and later released from Regions Hospital. The suspect, meanwhile, is in critical condition, based on the updates from the police.
The violent encounter unfolded around 2 p.m. after police received a call about a violation of a protective order at the intersection of Cretin and Marshall Avenues. The caller, a woman, reported that a man who had an order of protection against him was following her in his car.
The woman also said that the man rammed into her vehicle intentionally, broke one of her car windows, and had a handgun, as per the police statement.
After reaching the scene, Officer Tschida encountered the man. This led to an exchange of gunfire where both the officer and the suspect were hit and later taken to Regions Hospital. The woman remained unscathed in the incident.
The investigation of the shooting has been assigned to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Tschida had his body camera active during the time that the shooting took place. He will be placed on administrative leave, as is standard process following a deadly force incident.
In a public address, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said, “Today is a scary day for St. Paul,” expressing relief over the recovery of the officer and commitment to transparency and accountability processes.
St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry pointed out the city’s rising incidents of domestic violence homicides in 2023, with six reported so far, highlighting the challenging and unpredictable nature of situations that officers are often required to respond to.