Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Police Use Of Force topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Richfield residents press council for review after April 29 officer-involved shooting
Summary
At the May 12 Richfield City Council meeting, public commenters including a family legal liaison urged a full review of police policies and training after body-worn camera footage was released following an April 29 officer-involved shooting; the BCA investigation is ongoing and council members declined to comment on case details.
Shara Blanch and a family legal liaison urged the Richfield City Council on May 12 to use the April 29 officer-involved shooting that killed a Richfield resident as a moment to review police policies, training and tactics.
In public comment, Shara Blanch, identifying herself as a Richfield resident, said she was "deeply saddened by the shooting that happened two weeks ago" and noted that body-worn camera footage had been released to the public while the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigation remains open. "I urge you to review your policies, procedures, and training... so that you can uphold the very first portion of your mission, which is safeguarding lives," she told the council.
Nikki Holidayiday, who said she was speaking as the delegated legal liaison for the family of the deceased, described viewing body-worn footage and raised specific concerns about the use of force during the incident. Holidayiday named officers Mario Leon and Christian Schultz as involved, said the footage showed "an additional 10 shots fired" after the person had disarmed, and asked whether Officer Leon's reported right-arm injury could have come from officer fire. "This warrants serious reflection on public safety standards and officer training within the city of Richfield," she said.
Mayor Mary Supple and other council members emphasized that the BCA investigation is ongoing and said it was not appropriate for council members to discuss case details while the investigation proceeds. Council did not take any formal action on the matter at the meeting.
The public comments requested that the council and city leadership review relevant state and federal law, the city's police policies, and training practices; asked whether additional officers involved were under review; and sought a full review on the public record. The meeting record shows council members directed staff to bring information back on a future work session concerning social media comments and community communications, but no procedural changes to police policy were adopted that night.
Next steps identified during the meeting included maintaining the ongoing BCA investigation and recording public requests for review in the meeting minutes. The council did not schedule any immediate policy hearings or votes related to police procedures at this session.
