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Deputy shot; 3 caught in dragnet
A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy is expected to make a full recovery from a gunshot wound he suffered Wednesday afternoon while working to arrest a fugitive from Fresno, Calif.
The deputy, Christopher Tayson, was working as part of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force and collaborating with U.S. marshals when he was shot around 3:40 p.m., said Mike Martin, the strike force's regional commander.
After a intensive two-hour manhunt, three suspects were apprehended.
The incident unfolded as Tayson and deputy Bill Snyder, a former Strike Force member, were searching on St. Paul's East Side for the fugitive, Yatau Her, and two others. They came across the trio walking in the 1500 block of Ames Av.
Authorities said the officers were in the area because investigators earlier this month found a car and gun in north Minneapolis linking Her to the metro area.
"We knew he was here," said Strike Force Commander Ron Ryan. "It was just a matter of catching him." When the officers called out to the men, the suspects fired, hitting Tayson.
Snyder was not injured, but several bullets hit his vehicle, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said. The officers returned fire, he said.
Investigators believe that one of the officers shot one of the suspects, who ran into a nearby apartment building and held off authorities for about an hour.
While negotiating with him, a responding St. Paul officer found Her. After seeing Her flash a gun, the officer "ran him over with the squad car," said St. Paul spokesman Paul Schnell.
The third suspect was picked up about 5:45 p.m. at a nearby recreation center in the 1500 block of E. 7th Street.
Her is being held without bail in the Ramsey County jail. Another suspect is at Regions Hospital in St. Paul; his condition was not known Wednesday night. The third suspect also is in custody.
The shooting sparked a flood of help from more than 125 law enforcement officers from at least half a dozen area agencies. Officers on foot, on horseback, in helicopters and with dogs searched for the three suspects.
"I don't think that there was a fear that anybody was going to break through the dragnet," said Department of Public Safety spokesman Kevin Smith.
Danny Gilliam, who lives in the neighborhood, was making dinner when he heard shots.
"It was like fireworks," he said. "I've heard shots before, but we don't hear shots like that around here. I've never seen anything like this."
Several parents were waiting on street corners for their children to return home on school buses when the shooting happened southeast of Lake Phalen.
"I saw police officers flying by the house and then the ambulance came flying by," said Corrie Casarez, 32, who has lived on Hazelwood Street, a few blocks from the shooting scene, for three years.
Casarez said her 12-year-old daughter had just returned home from school as police began the search. But the news that a deputy had been shot didn't shock Casarez.
"People say they've straightened this neighborhood up, but I haven't seen it," Casarez said. "Gang-bangers walk up and down the street here, selling drugs. My kids have heard gunshots, seen police chasing people, so it doesn't surprise me a police officer got shot."
Several schools were locked down during the search.
Authorities said Her, 21, the primary suspect in the shooting, escaped from custody in California in December while working for a Coats for Kids project. He was serving time for assault with a deadly weapon at the time of his escape, the Sacramento Bee reported last month. The other suspects have not been charged.
Officials said Her also is suspected in an Eau Claire, Wis., shooting earlier this month in which a grocery clerk was shot three times in the back while trying to sound an alarm. The clerk survived, Ryan said, adding that a warrant was issued for Her's arrest.
Ryan also described Her as a suspect in the double-slaying at a Columbia Heights pool hall earlier this month, although he hasn't been charged in that shooting. They also say he is a "major player" in the Menace of Destruction gang in California.
Martin was with Ryan when they realized one of their strike force officers had been shot.
Ryan's son, Ron Ryan Jr., was one of two St. Paul police officers killed 10 years ago by a drifter just blocks from Wednesday's shooting scene.
"My heart just sank," Martin said. "We just looked at each other and I'm sure we were both like ghosts."
"It was half an hour before I heard he was going to be OK," Martin said. "I just kept thinking about his wife and kids and my own wife and kids. I was going crazy."
Tayson was in fair condition and officials expect him to make a full recovery in four to five days, the sheriff said.
"Both of these deputies are true heroes, in the sense of the word that as a result of their actions three suspects ... were apprehended," Fletcher said.
Authorities are still seeking a red Acura Integra with a Wisconsin license plate WNV-494. Anyone with information about the car is asked to call St. Paul police at 651-291-1111.
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More gang violence. Sounds like they've been moving in from out of state lately.
A Ramsey County sheriff's deputy is expected to make a full recovery from a gunshot wound he suffered Wednesday afternoon while working to arrest a fugitive from Fresno, Calif.
The deputy, Christopher Tayson, was working as part of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force and collaborating with U.S. marshals when he was shot around 3:40 p.m., said Mike Martin, the strike force's regional commander.
After a intensive two-hour manhunt, three suspects were apprehended.
The incident unfolded as Tayson and deputy Bill Snyder, a former Strike Force member, were searching on St. Paul's East Side for the fugitive, Yatau Her, and two others. They came across the trio walking in the 1500 block of Ames Av.
Authorities said the officers were in the area because investigators earlier this month found a car and gun in north Minneapolis linking Her to the metro area.
"We knew he was here," said Strike Force Commander Ron Ryan. "It was just a matter of catching him." When the officers called out to the men, the suspects fired, hitting Tayson.
Snyder was not injured, but several bullets hit his vehicle, Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said. The officers returned fire, he said.
Investigators believe that one of the officers shot one of the suspects, who ran into a nearby apartment building and held off authorities for about an hour.
While negotiating with him, a responding St. Paul officer found Her. After seeing Her flash a gun, the officer "ran him over with the squad car," said St. Paul spokesman Paul Schnell.
The third suspect was picked up about 5:45 p.m. at a nearby recreation center in the 1500 block of E. 7th Street.
Her is being held without bail in the Ramsey County jail. Another suspect is at Regions Hospital in St. Paul; his condition was not known Wednesday night. The third suspect also is in custody.
The shooting sparked a flood of help from more than 125 law enforcement officers from at least half a dozen area agencies. Officers on foot, on horseback, in helicopters and with dogs searched for the three suspects.
"I don't think that there was a fear that anybody was going to break through the dragnet," said Department of Public Safety spokesman Kevin Smith.
Danny Gilliam, who lives in the neighborhood, was making dinner when he heard shots.
"It was like fireworks," he said. "I've heard shots before, but we don't hear shots like that around here. I've never seen anything like this."
Several parents were waiting on street corners for their children to return home on school buses when the shooting happened southeast of Lake Phalen.
"I saw police officers flying by the house and then the ambulance came flying by," said Corrie Casarez, 32, who has lived on Hazelwood Street, a few blocks from the shooting scene, for three years.
Casarez said her 12-year-old daughter had just returned home from school as police began the search. But the news that a deputy had been shot didn't shock Casarez.
"People say they've straightened this neighborhood up, but I haven't seen it," Casarez said. "Gang-bangers walk up and down the street here, selling drugs. My kids have heard gunshots, seen police chasing people, so it doesn't surprise me a police officer got shot."
Several schools were locked down during the search.
Authorities said Her, 21, the primary suspect in the shooting, escaped from custody in California in December while working for a Coats for Kids project. He was serving time for assault with a deadly weapon at the time of his escape, the Sacramento Bee reported last month. The other suspects have not been charged.
Officials said Her also is suspected in an Eau Claire, Wis., shooting earlier this month in which a grocery clerk was shot three times in the back while trying to sound an alarm. The clerk survived, Ryan said, adding that a warrant was issued for Her's arrest.
Ryan also described Her as a suspect in the double-slaying at a Columbia Heights pool hall earlier this month, although he hasn't been charged in that shooting. They also say he is a "major player" in the Menace of Destruction gang in California.
Martin was with Ryan when they realized one of their strike force officers had been shot.
Ryan's son, Ron Ryan Jr., was one of two St. Paul police officers killed 10 years ago by a drifter just blocks from Wednesday's shooting scene.
"My heart just sank," Martin said. "We just looked at each other and I'm sure we were both like ghosts."
"It was half an hour before I heard he was going to be OK," Martin said. "I just kept thinking about his wife and kids and my own wife and kids. I was going crazy."
Tayson was in fair condition and officials expect him to make a full recovery in four to five days, the sheriff said.
"Both of these deputies are true heroes, in the sense of the word that as a result of their actions three suspects ... were apprehended," Fletcher said.
Authorities are still seeking a red Acura Integra with a Wisconsin license plate WNV-494. Anyone with information about the car is asked to call St. Paul police at 651-291-1111.
web page
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
More gang violence. Sounds like they've been moving in from out of state lately.