ST. PAUL, Minn. — A St. Paul police officer who killed a man during a shootout last year will not be charged, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced Thursday.
The attorney’s office said in a memorandum that “the officer’s use of deadly force [Michael] Tschida v Mr. [Brandon] Keys was justified” under Minnesota law.
Keys fired the first shots at Tschida on Dec. 7, 2023, according to footage released by St. Paul police. Tschida returned fire, hitting Keys in the head, according to police. Keys was hospitalized and died the next day.
Police responded to Cretin and Marshall avenues the day of the shootout after a woman called 911 to report that a man she had a protective order against was following her. The woman said she was driving a car with a man in the passenger seat when Keys pulled up behind her and started hitting her car with his. She also said Keys had a gun.
When Tschida arrived on the scene, he ordered Keys to the ground, footage released by police showed. The footage showed Keys walking to his car and crouching behind the driver’s side door before showing up and shooting at Tschida, hitting him in the ankle.
Tschida was hospitalized, treated and released.
The Ramsey County Prosecutor’s Office found in its review of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension’s investigation into the shooting that Tschida followed the St. Paul Police Department’s use of force policy. In the explanatory memorandum, the law firm explained its decision:
“We further believe that Officer Tschida was objectively reasonable in his belief, based on the totality of circumstances known to him at the time he used deadly force: 1) that Mr. Keys posed an imminent threat to his life and the lives of others. bystanders, as specifically shown by the evidence presented to us, and that he had demonstrated both the ability and ability to meet that threat, which he did when he suddenly and without warning shot the officer and 2) that without his use of deadly force; Using force against Mr Keys without unreasonable delay was reasonably likely to result in his death or great bodily harm.”
Note: The above video originally aired on December 12, 2023.
Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.
