Police said the off-duty female officer was trying to interrupt an apparent robbery in front of an apartment building in the 1300-block of W. 90th Street around 1 p.m. Wednesday in Brainerd. The officer said she produced her firearm and announced she was an officer, police said.
That's when she began tussling with the suspected robber.
Dramatic surveillance video shows the off-duty officer fighting - at one point, even on the ground - to keep her gun out of the hands of a suspect before that gun went off.
A neighbor who shared video of the tussle with ABC7, but asked to hide her identity.
"I could hear her say, 'I told you I'm going to shoot you!' Something to that effect! And when I heard the shots, I was just like, 'Hey! Hit the ground and call the police again,'" the neighbor said.
"It's frightening. It's very scary," another neighbor added.
This surveillance video doesn't capture the moments leading up to or after the confrontation, and it's unclear at what point the shooting happened.
The officer involved was one of their neighbors, according to nearby residents.
"She wasn't, like, scared or anything like that. But, she did hold her own," another neighbor said.
"The tussle that they had almost had me in tears because she's a tiny little person. So, I'm glad that she was able to keep herself together and do what she needed to do to come out alive," a fellow neighbor added.
The man, identified as 39-year-old Leevon Smith, was taken to Christ Hospital in serious condition, where he died Friday, according to the medical examiner. The officer was taken to Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Evergreen Park with minor injuries, fire officials said.
Thursday, before succoming to his injuries, Smith was charged with one felony count each of aggravated battery in a public place and attempted robbery.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating the shooting and the officer involved has been placed on routine administrative leave duties for 30 days.
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