Minneapolis Officer Targeted In Shooting

Minneapolis police believe that an officer in their area was targeted Saturday morning.

Andrew J. Neal, 43, was arrested after being surrounded by SWAT and charged with suspicion of violating probation, probable-cause burglary, and probable-cause domestic aggravated assault.

Officers responded to a burglary call in the Jordan neighborhood to find a shaken tenant. She claimed that Neal smashed one of her windows with a hammer. A friend of hers was able to chase the suspect off the property. She then called the police.

Officer Jordan Davis was part of the pair who responded to the call. While outside, after taking the tenant’s statement, he was shot. Minneapolis officers are unsure if Neal was the shooter or if he was working with the shooter.

Janeé Harteau, Minneapolis Police Chief, seemed to have no doubt that it was a case of an officer being targeted.

“There is little doubt that an officer was the intended target of this shooting and that this officer just happened to be the one who was there,” the chief said in a statement.

Officer Davis was taken to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale, by his partner. There, he was listed in satisfactory condition. It was reported by WCCO that the officer was out of the hospital by Saturday night and that he did not suffer any permanent injuries.

John Elder, a police spokesperson, added that they “have an officer that’s going to be OK.”

Despite the outcome, the implications are clear that the officer could have been hurt much worse, especially if law enforcement, in general, was targeted. There has been a great deal of tension between officers and the public in recent months.

Police union chief John Delmonico said, “This is an example of what can happen so fast in [an officer’s] job. They believe that law enforcement was the target – not this specific [officer] – and he never saw it coming.”

From the scene, an officer was heard on the police audio saying, “It was right next to us. We did not see anybody. It came out of nowhere.”

“[It was] a cowardly act,” Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges said of the shooting. “We are sparing no effort to bring to justice whoever is responsible for it.”

Officer Jordan Davis patrols from the Fourth Precinct and has been recognized by his department as a “DWI All-Star.” In 2013, he made 110 DWI arrests.

[Image courtesy of Minneapolis Police Twitter ]