Cop is fired for shooting an unarmed naked man hiding in dumpster 'after he carried out a string of violent crimes' in Minnesota as bodycam footage is released
- Officer Anthony Dean of St. Paul PD was fired after shooting an unarmed man
- Joseph Javonte Washington, 31, was wanted for an alleged domestic dispute
- He hid from officers in a dumpster but was naked and unarmed at the time
- Officers attempted to get him out by using pepper spray and a K-9
- Once Washington was out, he ran towards officers but was shot four times
- Chief Todd Axtell said the action was 'neither reasonable nor necessary'
- Axtell said it demanded he take 'swift, decisive and serious action'
The Police Chief of St. Paul, Minnesota has taken 'swift, decisive and serious action' by firing a police officer who was involved in the shooting of a naked, unarmed man who was hiding in a dumpster.
Bodycam footage was released on Tuesday of the incident on Saturday night in which the officer, identified as Anthony Dean, shot and injured a naked, unarmed man.
Chief Todd Axtell explained how more than a dozen officers ended up descending on Rice Street close to the downtown area of the city as they searched for a man who was a suspect in a multitude of violent crimes including criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and aggravated assault.
St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell looked visibly upset as he spoke at a press conference about a shooting by a police officer this weekend in St. Paul, Minnesota on Tuesday
Officer Anthony Dean of St. Paul PD was fired after shooting an unarmed man. Pictured, the man is seen on the ground after being restrained by a police dog
In video released on Tuesday, officers can be heard yelling at the man - who had hidden in a dumpster - to get out.
As officers tried to talk him out, cops deployed a pepper ball, an irritant similar to pepper spray.
The man, whom authorities identified as 31-year-old Joseph Javonte Washington, then climbed out of the dumpster and quickly ran towards the officers.
The officers used Tasers and a K9 in an effort to stop him. Then, despite being completely unarmed, one officer shot him four times.
Joseph Javonte Washington, 31, was wanted for and alleged domestic dispute
He hid from officers in a dumpster but was naked and unarmed at the time. He is pictured after he had jumped out of his hiding place and run towards officers who opened fire
The video then shows the man struggling with a K-9 that proceeded to bite him around his leg.
Washington suffered three gunshot wounds to the leg and one to the abdomen, along with a dog bite.
The officer who discharged his weapon was fired on Tuesday after 'falling short of the department's standard's for use of deadly force.
'As police officers, we have a duty to use force only when required,' Chief Todd Axtell said. 'We must balance the risk to the community, colleagues and to ourselves. Wearing the badge of the St. Paul Police Department is a privilege and honor and comes with great responsibility and authority.'
Chief Todd Axtell said the shooting by the officer was 'neither reasonable nor necessary'
St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell, Mayor Melvin Carter, and other officers stood at the podium as body camera footage played for the media at a press conference on Tuesday
'As you can see this video is incredibly difficult to watch because I know lives have been altered, a person has been shot, a community is feeling the effects of an officer involved shooting, and an officer who has served honorably in the past has had his life changed forever,' Axtell explained.
'When I asked myself if the officer's actions on Saturday night were reasonable and necessary, the only answer I could come up with was no,' Axtell said.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is now investigating the police shooting.
All the officers who were involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave.
Washington has been charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of kidnapping and one count of second-degree assault in connection to an incident that occurred before the shooting.
Once Washington was out of the dumpster, he ran towards officers but was shot three times
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