Officers 'justified' in shooting man outside Woodbury Target

The officer and deputy who fired at a man carrying a BB-gun outside the Woodbury Target store were cleared of any wrongdoing by the Washington County Attorney's Office on Thursday.

Officer James Stoffel of the Woodbury Public Safety Department and Deputy Brian Krook of the Washington County Sheriff's Office were "justified" in using deadly force against 61-year-old Donald Eugene Roche.

The shooting happened on July 22, after Roche stole a wallet from a construction site in Oakdale, using the stolen credit cards inside to make purchases at two stores in Woodbury, including over $1,500-worth of goods at Target.

Police first saw Roche walking from the Target store toward the car he had driven to the store. Officers tried to arrest him but fell back when they saw him carrying the pistol, which later emerged to be a 4.5 mm pellet gun made to look like a firearm.

Other law enforcement agencies, including a SWAT Team, were called to the scene and attempted to negotiate with Roche for an hour before he got out of the car with the gun.

The SWAT team used rubber rounds and pepper spray before Roche reportedly pointed the gun at officers, according to the attorney's office.

That's when Officer Stoffel and Deputy Krook shot at Roche with their department handguns.

Paramedics took Roche to Regions Hospital to recover from his injuries before being sent to the Washington County Jail.

On July 18, Roche pleaded guilty to two counts of 2nd-degree assault. He will be sentenced on September 30. During his plea, Roche said police "had every right" to shoot him based on his actions.

"Mr. Roche intentionally threatened the lives of law enforcement officers to exploit their trained reactions and compel the use of deadly force," Washington County Attorney Kevin Magnuson said.

"Fortunately, that force was not lethal here, but the effects of being forced to react with deadly force can be very damaging to law enforcement and their families."

Note: The details provided in this story are based on law enforcement's latest version of events and may be subject to change.

Related: Charges brought against suspect shot by police outside Woodbury Target