BCA Identifies Man Killed by Austin, Minn. Police Officer; Knife Found at Scene
The man who was shot and killed by an Austin police officer in the parking lot of a gas station Thursday, Dec. 23 has been identified as Kokou Christopher Fiafonou, 38, of Austin, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said in a media release.
The BCA said a knife was recovered near Fiafonou’s body after he was shot by an officer outside the Kwik Trip at 1201 W. Oakland Ave. shortly before 10 p.m.
Fiafonou had been involved in a long-running standoff with authorities since the day before, when at around 3:45 p.m. Dec. 22, officers were sent to the area of 7th St. NW. & 8th Ave. NW. for a man walking in traffic while armed with a machete.
Officers tried to detain Fiafonou after he fled into an apartment nearby, deploying their Tasers on him, which were ineffective. He reportedly made threats to harm other people and officers backed off, calling in trained negotiators and a SWAT team to the area.
Over the next 24 hours, authorities tried to negotiate with Fiafonou and several times used pepper gas and less-lethal munitions as they tried to take him into custody.
About 6 p.m., authorities drew down their presence, largely disengaging the standoff and left uniformed officers in the nearby area to monitor the situation. Around 9:30 p.m., Fiafonou left the apartment and walked to the gas station, with officers following him, according to a media release from the Austin Police Department.
In the gas station lot, police said Fiafonou confronted officers while armed with a knife and one officer fired his weapon, striking Fiafonou, who died at the scene of multiple gunshot wounds, the Southern Minnesota Regional Medical Examiner's Office said.
The BCA identified the officer who shot Fiafonou as Zachary Gast, an Austin police officer for two years. He was placed on standard administrative leave after the shooting. The department does not use body-worn cameras but said squad car video captured portions of the incident.
Investigation by the BCA into the shooting is continuing.
TWITTER: Our thread on the initial incident
