Little Falls man killed by law enforcement identified
ST. PAUL -- The Ramsey County Medical Examiner today confirmed the identity of a man who died in a confrontation with law enforcement late last week in Little Falls. An autopsy concluded 37-year-old Patrick Glenn Jeske of Little Falls died as a result of blood loss associated with multiple gunshot wounds. Preliminary autopsy results indicate none of the wounds were self-inflicted. The medical examiner is awaiting toxicology test results.
The Morrison County Sheriff's Office received a call shortly after midnight on December 30 that Mr. Jeske was suicidal, in possession of a gun, and possibly in the city of Little Falls.
Little Falls Police Department officers and Morrison County sheriff's deputies located Mr. Jeske as he was leaving the residence of an acquaintance in northeast Little Falls. When the officers attempted to stop Jeske's vehicle, he pulled into a driveway in the 400 block of 8th Avenue NE in Little Falls.
The officers told investigators Jeske emerged from his vehicle armed with a shotgun. The preliminary investigation found Jeske ignored the officers' repeated orders to put the weapon down. The two Little Falls police officers and two Morrison County sheriff's deputies then fired their weapons. Jeske was pronounced dead at the scene.
The four officers are identified as Officer Jon West, 30, a four-year veteran of the Little Falls Police Department; Officer Joshua Burgardt, 28, who has been with the Little Falls Police Department for four years; Morrison County Sheriff's Deputy James Paschelke, 37, who has worked at the sheriff's office for six years; and Sergeant Shawn Larson, 35, who is an 11-year veteran of the Morrison County Sheriff's Office. All are on paid administrative leave while the incident is under investigation, which is standard procedure.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is leading the investigation at the request of the Morrison County Sheriff's Office. BCA agents have interviewed all four officers involved in the incident. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Morrison County Attorney's Office for review.
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