ALBERT LEA, Minn. (AP) - State investigators have identified the state trooper who fired his weapon during a shooting in Albert Lea in which the alleged suspect was injured after wounding three people, including a police officer.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Friday that the trooper who fired his weapon is Trooper Steven Quern, who has been with the Minnesota State Patrol for 15 years. The BCA said earlier this week that Devin Weiland, 21, suffered shrapnel injuries but it was not immediately clear whether he was shot.
The officer who was injured was identified Friday as Albert Lea Officer Kody Needham, who has been in law enforcement for four years. The BCA said Needham was hit in his protective vest and was treated at the hospital and released. He remains on medical leave.
Authorities have said Weiland, 21, of Albert Lea, is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder and three counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with Sunday’s shooting at the Shady Oaks apartment complex.
Officers responded to the apartment building and found Needham had been hit in his bullet-resistant vest. He was taken to Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Albert Lea for treatment of injuries that were not life threatening, according to the BCA.
Two men, ages 52 and 38, were airlifted to the Rochester hospital for treatment of their injures, which were also not life threatening.
Authorities did not say what prompted Weiland to open fire at the apartment building. He was arrested after a nearly 9-hour standoff with law enforcement. It was not immediately clear if Weiland had an attorney to comment on his behalf.
Some nearby residents were evacuated to a church during the standoff. As tactical officers were evacuating the building, they discovered a body in one of the apartments, the BCA said. The death is not related to the active shooter incident and the cause and manner of death are under investigation, officials said.
Quern is on standard administrative leave while the investigation continues.
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