ST. PAUL — The police officer who was shot Monday at a Granite Falls residence while serving a felony warrant was one of the officers who fired his gun during the incident.
Willmar Police Officer Jason Hay fired his department handgun, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is investigating the police use-of-force incident at the request of the Granite Falls Police Department. Hay has 14 years of law enforcement experience and is on standard administrative leave.
The BCA in a news release issued Friday also said that a Swift County sheriff’s deputy fired his department handgun. Because the Swift County Sheriff informed the BCA that the deputy works in an undercover capacity, the BCA by statute is prohibited from publicly identifying the deputy.
The shooting and ensuing 90-minute standoff at the home led to multiple law enforcement agencies converging on the neighborhood. The response included officers with rifles, SWAT and armored vehicles.
William Schindler, 26, of Granite Falls, was not injured when officers served the warrant for his arrest, according to the BCA.
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Schindler now faces seven felony charges , including three counts of first-degree attempted murder of a peace officer. The three attempted murder charges list as victims the three officers who first entered the residence, including Hay, according to court documents.
Officer Hay was identified in court documents as an agent of the CEE-VI Drug and Gang Task Force. It is a multi-jurisdictional body made up of officers from various agencies in the area it serves: Chippewa, Kandiyohi, Meeker, Swift and Yellow Medicine counties.
Based on the initial investigation, just after 4 p.m. Monday, April 10, members of the CEE-VI (Cooperative Enforcement Effort) Drug Task Force went to the Granite Falls home to serve a felony warrant for Schindler’s arrest on drug and weapons charges, according to the BCA. A person in the home opened the door for the officers, who announced who they were and why they were there.
Once they entered the home, the officers were met with gunfire. Hay and the Swift County deputy returned fire.
A bullet struck Hay as the officers retreated from the home. No one else was injured in the exchange of gunfire. Hay treated and released from the hospital in Granite Falls.
After the standoff, Schindler surrendered and was arrested without incident. Court documents say two other men in the home had already been taken into custody.
Crime scene personnel recovered evidence from inside the home, including multiple firearms and cartridge casings. According to the BCA, portions of the incident were captured on squad and body-worn cameras and BCA agents are reviewing that footage as part of the ongoing investigation.
Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without a charging recommendation to the Yellow Medicine County Attorney’s Office for review.
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