At the request of the Polk County Attorney’s office, the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office conducted a review of the officer-involved shooting that occurred in Crookston, Minnesota, on June 30, 2024. Based on their review of the investigation completed by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office concluded that criminal prosecution was not warranted.
The autopsy report of the shooting victim Christopher Junkin revealed that he had Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), Cotinine, Theophylline, Desmethylsildenafil, Verapamil, Caffeine, Sildenafil, and Amphetamine in his blood.
The Crow Wing County Attorney’s office said that based on the facts and circumstances in the case; they found that the officer was properly exercising lawful authority when attempting to secure and detain Junkin following the call for service. The three officers were readily identified as peace officers when directing Junkin to “come to them” and “surrender.” Junkin failed to comply with any of the officer’s lawful commands. Ultimately, Junkin’s refusal to comply with orders and his repeated attempts to assault the officers resulted in the officer responding with deadly force. Although Junkin did not have a weapon on him at the time he was shot, given his physical stature, the level of aggression he was exhibiting towards the officers, and law enforcement’s position on the stairwell when he lunged at them, it was reasonable for the officers to believe Junkin would cause them great bodily harm or death if they did not respond with deadly force. In considering whether Junkin posed a threat of immediate death or great bodily harm, it is important to note that Minnesota has previously established that bare hands alone can be considered deadly force under the first-degree assault statute.
All three officers who were present at the time of the shooting articulated this threat clearly and with great specificity in their written statements. It is also apparent in the body camera recordings that death or great bodily harm was likely to occur unless the officer responded with deadly force without unreasonable delay. Criminal prosecution is not warranted in this case, which is why the Crow Wing County Attorney’s office is declining prosecution of the matter.
A copy of the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office letter containing an evaluation of the investigation is below.
