Man Swinging Hatchet Fatally Shot by Police in Small MN Town

Crookston, MN (KROC-AM News)- Authorities in Northwestern Minnesota say a man wielding a hatchet was shot and killed by police early Thursday morning.

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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) posted on its X account that the agency was responding to a use of force incident in Crookston around 6 a.m. Thursday.

Preliminary information released by the Crookston Police Department indicates officers encountered a man in the street swinging a hatchet shortly before 1 a.m. near the Polk County Government Center.

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The man rapidly approached the officers after they made initial contact and police deployed less-than-lethal means to subdue him, authorities say.

A news release says the individual continued to charge at the officers with the hatchet and police responded by shooting the man. Police administered aid to the man and he was taken to a hospital where he later died.

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The man’s name has not been released. It’s unclear as of Thursday morning how many officers were involved in the fatal officer-involved shooting.

The Crookston Police Department requested the BCA to investigate the shooting. The news release describes the situation as an ongoing criminal investigation.

No further details will be released at this time, the news release says.

Crookston serves as the seat for Polk County and is located about 70 miles north of the Fargo-Moorhead area. The town of 7,482 people is also home to a University of Minnesota campus.