SAINT CLOUD — A male suspect is dead after he was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound around 12:50 p.m. Wednesday following a foot pursuit in Waite Park, according to a St. Cloud Police Department news release.
According to the release, it was discovered that the suspect, one of three males sought in an earlier assault at a mall, had a felony warrant for a felon in possession of a firearm.
A Stearns County Sheriff's Office deputy had detained the man around 11:59 a.m. on the 10 block of Waite Avenue and law enforcement said the man initially gave them a false name.
When officers determined the man's true identity, the man fled with officers eventually losing sight of the suspect.
Law enforcement set up a perimeter and a K9 units was used to track the suspect to a shed behind a residence on the 10 block of Cherry Street. Officers then heard what sounded like a gunshot coming from inside the shed.
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Law enforcement did not discharge their weapons, according to the news release.
Once the shed was cleared by the K9 unit, officers found the lone suspect with an apparent. self-afflicted gunshot wound. A handgun was recovered at the scene.
Officers provided medical care on the scene and the suspect was transported to the CentraCare-St. Cloud Hospital by Mayo Clinic Ambulance, where he later died.
According to the news release, surveillance video from the previous assault at a Waite Park mall appears to show that the man who died is the man who had assaulted a store employee.
The Minnesota BCA has been asked to process the scene and conduct the investigation.
The body of the deceased will be transported to the Midwest Medical Examiner's Officer for autopsy and formal identification.
