Body camera footage of fatal Minnetonka standoff released

Authorities have released body-worn camera footage of the officer-involved shooting in Minnetonka earlier this month that left one man dead and two deputies wounded.

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office on Wednesday released the footage of the April 10 incident, during which law enforcement fatally shot 28-year-old Clint Hoyhtya after he opened fire on deputies.

According to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Hoyhtya started shooting at HCSO deputies with an assault-style rifle as deputies attempted to serve an arrest warrant at a home in the 13400 block of East Crestwood Drive.

Hoyhtya was not the subject of the arrest warrant and authorities have not indicated what prompted Hoyhtya to open fire.

"Hoyhtya was wearing a tactical vest with ballistic plates during the shooting but was fatally struck by the deputies’ gunfire and died at the scene," the BCA said.

The deputies involved in the incident have previously been identified as:

• Deputy Christopher Heihn: Eight years of law enforcement experience, fired department rifle.
• Deputy Tyler Jacob: Eight years of law enforcement experience, fired department rifle.
• Deputy Keith McNamara: 23 years of law enforcement experience, fired department rifle.
• Deputy Steven Tomasko : 15 years of law enforcement experience, fired his department handgun.

McNamara was struck by shrapnel and treated at the scene, while Heihn was shot multiple times and treated at the Hennepin County Medical Center.

The footage released Wednesday shows deputies arriving at the home of the warrant subject and knocking on the front door for about three minutes.

At one point, a person inside can be heard screaming “what the f*** do you want?” and a deputy near the backyard of the home can be heard saying the suspect — Hoyhtya — has a gun.

The sound of two gunshots can be heard after McNamara commands the suspect to show his hands.

Nearly ten minutes later, Deputy Heihn calls out for the suspect [Hoyhtya] to show his hands and Heihn is fired upon.

The footage shows Heihn, who had been shot in the right hand, retreating to be bandaged up before sprinting back to the scene.

Afterwards, a barrage of gunfire is heard before the footage cuts out.

The roughly 47 minutes of camera footage released Wednesday includes multiple segments collected from four deputies' cameras.

McNamara's body camera shows him later reporting through his walkie talkie that the suspect "pulled a gun on him and fired two shots."

Moments after McNamara retreats to a police vehicle to grab a rifle, shots ring out again. McNamara then says he's been hit.

Two minutes later, both exchange shots again, this time with McNamara saying "suspect is down on the ground now." Another deputy says aloud that the suspect has body armor on.

"Our thoughts are with everyone affected by this incident, including our deputies, the officers and emergency responders who arrived to support our agency, those living near the site, and the family of Mr. Hoyhtya," Sheriff Dawanna Witt stated Wednesday.

"We hope the release of this video provides some clarity as we try to understand this tragic incident," she continued.

The subject of the search warrant was Joshua Immanuel Ramos, 34, who was arrested last week in St. Paul . He was wanted at the time for violating a no-contact order from a previous conviction of domestic abuse no-contact order in October 2020.

It's not made clear in the court documents what brought deputies to Hoyhtya's home, but his father previously told the Star Tribune that police "shot the wrong guy."

You can watch the video below by clicking on the YouTube link.

Content warning: The following footage is graphic.

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