Wounded Roseville Officer Released from Hospital; Details on Shooter Released
The Roseville police officer who was shot in the line of duty earlier this week has been released from Regions Hospital in Saint Paul after having surgery Friday to remove a bullet that was lodged in his neck.
Officer Ryan Duxbury was shot while he and other officers came under rapid gunfire from a man armed with a rifle in a Roseville neighborhood southwest of Lake Owasso on Tuesday shortly before 8 p.m.
The man who shot Duxbury was identified by the BCA as Jesse Henri Werling, 53, of Roseville.
After Duxbury was shot, Werling continued to fire rounds from a scoped rifle toward officers, vehicles and homes in the area.
Police later said Werling fired around 100 total gunshots during the incident, with bullet holes found throughout the neighborhood after the gunfire stopped.
Two Roseville officers fired their weapons and struck Werling, who was eventually found down on the ground with a severe gunshot wound to the groin area. He was transported to Regions Hospital but was declared deceased shortly after.
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Duxbury was also rushed to the hospital for a serious gunshot wound and was in stable condition there the next day. Roseville police said in a media release Friday that Duxbury had surgery to remove the bullet that was lodged in his neck.
Duxbury was released from Regions on Saturday afternoon, with scores of law enforcement vehicles from multiple agencies forming a procession from the hospital.
Duxbury has been with the Roseville Police Department since 2019 and served as a department field training officer, background investigator, RPD recruitment liaison and wellness committee member, the department said. In 2021, Duxbury was awarded three unit citations and his file contains numerous letters of appreciation.
Authorities also released more information Friday on previous calls involving Werling, though three recent cases are still considered open investigations and information is not yet public.
One call for service on April 3, 2018 saw officers eventually engaged in a standoff with Werling in the driveway of a residence after he allegedly threatened his father with a knife and demanded his father’s “deer rifle.” Werling eventually agreed to go to Regions Hospital that night in 2018, according to a report summary from RPD.
Another report from June 2019 noted that Werling had moved in with his father, who was 74 at the time. The report said Werling had a long history of disturbance, harassment and mental health-related calls in Stillwater, where he had lived previously.
Two subsequent reports detailed troubling behavior from Werling, including on June 9, 2019, when officers were dispatched to the 2900 block of W. Owasso Blvd. and found Werling with his pants down, reportedly having exposed himself to children. He was also reported to have been following and taking pictures of neighbors. After that 2019 incident, Werling was taken to St. Joseph’s hospital on a transport hold.
According to a police report on Nov. 29, 2021, Werling himself called to report that the government was hacking his electronic devices and stealing his identity. The report noted a history of mental health calls and that a Ramsey County Adult Crisis team was contacted for follow-up.
In the most recent police report available, on Feb. 12, 2022 Werling made a harassment complaint via phone, saying that his devices were again being hacked.
One of the previous reports said Werling’s father believed he had undiagnosed bipolar disorder.
A Roseville police squad car at Regions Hospital in Saint Paul after an RPD officer was shot and wounded by a suspect in Roseville on Tuesday, April 5, 2022. Photo by MN CRIME
Roseville Police Chief Erika Scheider included this statement in a media release Friday:
Our thoughts are with Officer Ryan Duxbury and his family, especially today as he underwent surgery. Although Ryan continues to improve each day, he has a long road to a full recovery. He and his family remain in good spirits and are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the community.
We were fortunate to have our officers responding from trainings, specialty units, and even from their own homes when the call came out on Tuesday night. Fifteen Roseville Police Officers rushed to the scene without hesitation and demonstrated incredible bravery and courage. Numerous neighboring law enforcement agencies responded to assist.
With the speed in which information spread on social media, many of the officers’ families learned an officer had been struck by gunfire. The families waited for hours to hear if their loved one would be coming home. The magnitude of Tuesday night has taken a toll on all of our officers and their families. Officer wellness will be a top priority of the department in the coming days and months.
I want to thank the community for the outpouring of support. The kind cards, flowers, treats, and overall support has been unbelievable and means so much to the department as we work to move forward. Thank you for your continued support. Although this has been a challenging week for our department, our officers continue to serve and are ready to answer the call.
Today, I could not be prouder to lead the amazing men and women of the Roseville Police Department.
- Chief Erika Scheider
Previously: Suspect Dead After Roseville Officer Shot, Wounded