Minnetonka standoff: 2 deputies hurt, gunman killed during attempted arrest

MINNETONKA, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two deputies were hurt and a gunman is dead after an exchange of gunfire at a Minnetonka home, as deputies attempted to arrest a suspect.

The incident drew a massive police response on Wednesday morning shortly after 11 a.m. to the area of Crestwood Drive East and Mayview Road, which is a neighborhood just south of Excelsior Boulevard and west of 494.

In an afternoon news conference, Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt says deputies were attempting to arrest a suspect on a felony warrant when someone in the home opened fire. Two deputies were injured as a result of the shots being fired. One was rushed to the hospital while the other was treated at the scene.

Both deputies are expected to survive their injuries. Authorities said they are still working to determine exactly how the second deputy was injured with Sheriff Witt saying he was shot at but not struck.

The armed man at the house was killed at the scene, the sheriff added. Authorities believe the man was shot, but it's not clear by whom.

Deputies still aren't sure the person armed with a gun was the suspect they were looking for at a cul-de-sac at the end of Crestwood Drive. Earlier in the afternoon, FOX 9 crews heard loudspeaker calls being made at the house. During the afternoon news conference, authorities said the home was still being cleared, to ensure it was safe.

A shelter-in-place order issued for the neighborhood has since been lifted, according to the Minnetonka Police Department.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has also responded to the scene, to review the use of force by deputies.

Sheriff Witt sounds off on attacks against law enforcement

Sheriff Witt gave some stern words about the rise in violence against deputies during a Wednesday afternoon news conference.

Wednesday's shooting comes less than two months after three Burnsville first responders were killed responding to a domestic incident at a home in February.

"This has got to stop," Sheriff Witt said emphatically. "Every single day, first responders are rushing to help others and helping to keep our community safe. They do not deserve to be threatened. They do not deserve to be assaulted. They do not deserve to be killed."

Witt blasted the disregard by some for the lives of the first responders.

"We know that there's a risk that we might not make it home to our families," acknowledged Witt. "Yet the heroes in law enforcement, they still answer the call, they still show up for a thankless job a lot of times."

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