Authorities in Minnesota Kill 9 People, Shoot 14 in Last Six Months
Law enforcement officers in Minnesota have shot at least 14 people across the state in the past six months, killing 9 of them. With the exception of three shootings by federal officers in January, two of which were fatal, the other 11 shootings were conducted by police, sheriffs, and deputies.
No less than 1,201 people were killed by police in the U.S. last year after 2024 set a record high with American police killing at least 1,271 people. Officers were charged with a crime in 8 of the 1,201 killings in 2025, according to Mapping Police Violence.
Content Advisory: This report contains descriptions of death. All videos linked contain graphic content and can cause trauma.
In the 14 cases since November, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent Christian Castro is the only one facing charges out of at least 25 officers who fired their weapons — Castro shot and injured a man when firing his service weapon into a home on Jan. 14 during an ICE operation and then lied about the crime.
Castro was arrested today in Texas on a nationwide arrest warrant and has been charged with four felony second degree assault charges and falsely reporting a crime. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the arrest “is a critical step forward” in prosecuting Castro. The victim, Julio Sosa-Celis, was injured and then federally detained and released, but is still alive. The shooting led to a large rebellion by the community who pushed federal agents out of the northside and ransacked federal vehicles that were left behind.
The most recent killing in Minnesota was in the northern part of the state and filmed by Virginia Police Lt. Henry Trunk’s body-worn camera. Responding to a call about a man with a ski mask and “waving what appeared to be a handgun,” Trunk opened fire on 31-year-old Ethan Basche from across the street within seconds of arriving to the scene.
In the video, Trunk puts his car in park, and can be seen standing behind the door pointing his gun at Basche screaming “put your hands in the air” before firing three shots when Basche raises his arm.
Basche was not armed. He had a torch lighter, schizophrenia and a history of mental illness. Basche had been civilly committed five times since 2020 and according to MPR, a civil commitment order just eight months ago noted that he used methamphetamine “to stay up all night to protect his mother and himself” from being “hunted by unknown persons.” The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is investigating the killing.
Two days before Basche was killed, Desaver Brian Hollis, 27, was fatally shot with a bevy of bullets in the southern Minneapolis suburb of Richfield after allegedly stealing from parked cars. According to body-worn camera video released by the City of Richfield, Hollis had run from police and shot an officer in the hand before being killed.
Video shows Richfield police sergeants Mario Leon and Kristian Schultz chasing Hollis through the parking lot of an apartment complex before Leon dives and pushes Hollis to the ground who then turned over and shot Leon in the wrist area.
As Leon fell over in pain, Schultz, who had switched from Taser to gun, fired at least 13 times at Hollis. After Schultz stopped firing, Leon fired another 15 rounds at Hollis while lying on his back after being shot. Some bullets can be seen striking the pavement before ricocheting into Hollis’ body as both Desaver and Leon screamed in pain. The BCA is investigating.
In another stark and needless violent death, Cleavon White, a 47-year-old father of five, was killed by Rochester Police officer Josiah Duit while experiencing a mental health crisis two months ago on March 11.
White’s wife said he “was going through a psychosis” while they were home with their five children when police killed him for allegedly reaching for an officer’s gun and firing it.
Police say crisis response teams responded to the call and according to the BCA, “authorities [had] decided to place White on a 72-hour mental health hold.” When White refused to go with officers, police are seen in body-worn camera video getting physical with him before officer Duit shot him five times, killing him. Babies can be heard crying in the background. The BCA is investigating.
Six years since the world’s largest anti-police rebellion started in Minneapolis, police in Minnesota’s largest city are once again at the forefront of the news, not for killing another person, but for the resignation of police chief Brian O’Hara.
The last time Minneapolis Police officers killed someone was nearly two years ago. In June 2024, officers Enoch Langford, Abdirizaq Mumin, and Chaz Wilson fatally shot Michael Ristow, 39, during a mental crisis.
According to the City of Minneapolis, use of force incidents by police have been cut by more than half since 2020. However, over a 17-day stretch this past January, federal agents, backed by Minneapolis Police, patrolled city streets and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti and shot and injured Julio Sosa-Celis. During the many moments of upheaval, Minneapolis Police provided crowd control for federal agents and violently moved against grieve-stricken and shocked residents.
The last time that Saint Paul Police, long known as the deadliest department in the state, killed someone was also 2024. That year at least 12 people were killed by police in Minnesota.
At least seven people has been killed this year already, compared to eight all of last year. Since 2020, no less than 67 people have been killed by law enforcement in Minnesota.
The rest of the recent cases referred to in this report involve a mix of people being killed by police, others nonfatally shot by police and an in-custody death. Each of the following cases are being investigated by the BCA and the press releases from the BCA that are not linked in the report above are linked in the timeline below.
A six-month timeline of violence by law enforcement in Minnesota — [Nov. 13, 2025 – May 1, 2026]
May 1, 2026 – Killed in Virginia, MN – Ethan Basche, 31, Chisolm – Basche was fatally shot by Virginia Police Lt. Henry Trunk after he pointed a torch lighter at Trunk. More information above.
April 29, 2026 – Killed in Richfield, MN – Desaver Brian Hollis, 27, Plymouth – Hollis was fatally shot by Sgt. Mario Leon and Sgt. Kristian Schultz of Richfield PD after allegedly shooting Leon during a pursuit. More information above.
March 11, 2026 – Killed in Rochester, MN – Cleavon White, 47, Rochester – White was fatally shot by Rochester police officer Josiah Duit during a mental health crisis. More information above.
February 23, 2026 – Killed in Brooklyn Center, MN – Eddie Duncan, 23, Minneapolis – Duncan, who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, killed two of his cousins and then was fatally shot by Brooklyn Center police officers Christian Lausen, Francisco Martinez, and Wahid Gul after allegedly shooting at officers. BCA press release.
February 10, 2026 – Killed in Duluth, MN – Donald Felver III, 30, Duluth – Fatally shot by St. Louis County Sgt. Joshua Berndt and St. Louis County Deputy Matthew Sobczak after Felver allegedly fired a gun from inside vehicle after a pursuit. BCA press release.
January 24, 2026 – Killed in Minneapolis, MN – Alex Pretti, 37, Minneapolis – Fatally shot by Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer Raymundo Gutierrez as he tended to a person being assaulted by agents during Operation Metro Surge. The Justice Department is reportedly investigating, and the BCA is handling its own investigation while calling on federal cooperation. Similarly, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office is investigating and has sued for access to evidence.
January 14, 2026 – Nonfatal shooting in Minneapolis, MN – Julio Sosa-Celis, 24, Minneapolis – Sosa-Celis was shot in the leg by ICE agent Christian Castro after he fired into a home where a person he was pursuing ran into. Castro was arrested today and has been charged with four second degree assault felonies and falsely reporting a crime, a misdemeanor. Read Castro’s criminal complaint here.
January 7, 2026 – Killed in Minneapolis, MN – Renee Good, 37, Minneapolis – Good was fatally shot by ICE agent Jonathan Ross as she and her wife were observing federal agents drive through the city in violent droves as part of Operation Metro Surge. Good’s killing is allegedly being federally investigated and investigated by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, who charged Castro for his Jan. 14 nonfatal shooting. Local authorities have sued the administration over access to evidence.
January 1, 2026 – In-Custody Death in Renville County Jail – Percy Lee Strother, 53, Roseville – Strother died in custody. BCA press release.
December 21, 2025 – Nonfatal shooting in St. Paul, MN – Elliot Vaughn, 32, Minneapolis – Vaughn was shot by St. Paul Police officers Matthew Foy and Byron Treangen III while on Interstate 94 after exiting a stolen vehicle that was disabled. Vaughn survived. BCA press release.
December 3, 2025 – Nonfatal shooting in Bloomington, MN – Joshua Rocha, 21, Savage – Rocha was shot at by Bloomington Police officers Jeremy Pilcher, David Rodriguez, Carson Sanchez, Taylor Huss, and John Bunnell during a traffic stop after allegedly firing from inside his vehicle. BCA press release.
November 25, 2025 – Nonfatal shooting in Monticello, MN – Dwanye Trunell, 18, Monticello – Trunell was shot by Wright County Sheriff Deputy Benjamin Skweres multiple times after allegedly moving toward officers with a knife. BCA press release.
November 25, 2025 – Nonfatal shooting in Plymouth, MN – Atanas Hristev, 44, Champlin – Hristev was shot by Plymouth Police officer Jacob Coopet after allegedly pointing a handgun at Coopet outside of a house where a domestic disturbance was reported. BCA press release.
November 16, 2025 – Killed in Turtle Lake Township, MN – James Weyaus, 37, Onigum – Weyaus was fatally shot by Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies Kaleb Cherne and David Donner after exchanging gunfire and shooting Cherne in the leg. BCA press release.
November 13, 2025 – Killed in Clearwater County, MN – Dennis Hoie, 75, Bagley – Hoie was fatally shot by Clearwater County Deputy Noah Hallman after allegedly pointing a flare gun at the officer following a traffic pursuit. BCA press release.
In related news, last month a jury decided that Ramsey County sheriff’s deputies were not “deliberately indifferent” and didn’t use excessive force in the death of Nekeya Moody, a 37-year-old mother of five. Moody died in February 2020 during a mental health crisis from what the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office said was the heavily discredited “excited delirium,” a term mostly used by authorities to deflect blame when people die from extended police restraints.
Click here for Unicorn Riot’s extensive coverage of police killings.
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