DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said Saturday that the Duluth man who fatally shot a police dog and engaged in a nearly 20-hour standoff with authorities was shot and killed by law enforcement.
David Joseph Wayne Conwell, 37, died Friday from multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office. His death was ruled a homicide.
The BCA said he was shot by members of the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team, which had taken over the standoff situation after it had been going on for 10 hours.
The incident began at about 8:30 p.m. Thursday, as Duluth police officers responded to a 911 call from a third party about a possible physical domestic assault. At one point as officers were searching the home, Conwell fatally shot a police dog, Luna. Duluth tactical officers were called in and the standoff began, the BCA said.
After 10 hours, the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Response Team took over. The standoff ended at about 4 p.m. when Conwell was shot.
No one else was injured, and part of the incident was captured on body cameras worn by Duluth police officers. Investigators also found a gun at the scene, the BCA said.
The BCA is still investigating and will provide additional information once the initial round of interviews is complete.
An obituary published in the Duluth News Tribune said Conwell died “in an altercation with the police.” The obituary said: “David was a highly intelligent, unique and wonderful man and will be greatly missed by his mother, his family and his friends.”
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