Bodycam videos show woman pointing gun at St. Paul police before fatal shooting

Body camera videos released by St. Paul police Friday show a suicidal woman pointing a gun at three officers before they fire their weapons at her.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) issued a news release Friday identifying the woman, who died of multiple gunshot wounds, as 41-year-old St. Paul resident Pepsi Lee Heinl. The BCA said three St. Paul police officers fired their weapons during the incident on Monday, May 6: Chiking Chazonkhueze, Chee Lao, and Yengkong Lor.

Sahan Journal reached out to residents at the home where the shooting occurred; they declined comment.

The officers responded at 7:19 p.m. to a house in the 1100 block of Rose Avenue E. on reports of a suicidal woman. A transcript of the 911 call shows that Heinl’s mother called for help.

“My daughter is committing suicide,” the caller says before giving dispatch their home address. “Hurry please!”

St. Paul police released body camera video from each of the three officers who fired their weapons. The videos show them entering a closed porch and then an opened front door. The officer in the lead calls out, “St. Paul police!” a few times as the officers walk into an empty living room.

A woman’s voice calls to them, directing the officers to a room at the back of the house: “Here! Back here!”

The footage shows Heinl and a woman sitting on the floor of a bedroom.

“She was turning blue on her mouth and she wasn’t breathing!” the other woman tells the officers as she rocks back and forth holding onto Heinl.

Officers ask Heinl if she’s okay.

“I’m tired,” she replies.

“She’s not okay,” the other woman says.

The videos then show Heinl pulling out a handgun from underneath a blanket, standing up, and pointing the weapon at the officers. The other woman reaches her arms out to Heinl as the officers yell and quickly fire multiple shots, causing Heinl to fall onto a bed. The officers kick the gun away.

The officers rendered aid, but Heinl was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the BCA.

“These are never easy events,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said at a news conference Friday. “This was not an outcome that anybody wanted. But we are committed to staying true and being patient while the BCA investigates this, and making sure that process goes on unfettered. But again, we are always here to make sure that whenever we can, our piece of this is done in the quickest, fastest way. And that’s why we release this body-worn camera footage today.”

Henry said the police and community need to support people in crisis.

“It escalated very quickly,” Henry said. “And I’m struck by the fact that we went from a situation, where I watch the video, seeing an officer leaned over a person being very empathetic and asking, ‘How are you, okay, how can I help you?’ and seeing how quickly things can change.”

Henry said the three officers had undergone crisis intervention training prior to the incident. They are on administrative leave, which is standard procedure in officer-involved shootings.

The BCA will complete the investigation and present its findings to the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, which will determine if criminal charges are merited.

If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling or texting 988, or text HOME to 741741.

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