Video shows gun aimed at trooper in St. Louis County

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota State Trooper Travis Pearson followed a car driven

by a shooting incident suspect down a tree-lined rural St. Louis County

driveway, with his nearest law enforcement backup several minutes away.

Donnie Joe Lira stopped his Chevrolet Cavalier, then stepped out of the

car, rifle in hand. After Pearson's repeated demand that Lira drop the

gun, Lira raised the rifle and aimed it at Pearson.

A video the Minnesota State Patrol video released Wednesday abruptly

ends there, but a patrol spokesman said the rest of the video shows

Pearson firing 16 shots at Lira late on June 12, inflicting fatal wounds

to the man who authorities said had just shot at a home, forcing his

estranged wife and two children to duck for cover.

Patrol Capt. Matt Langer said the video, taken from a camera on the

trooper's car dash, was released so the public can understand what a law

enforcement officer can face.

While the video was fuzzy, it was clear that Lira aimed his rifle at

Pearson from about 25 feet away.

Langer refused to release, or let reporters view, the portion of the

video that showed Pearson shooting Lira.

A state and St. Louis County investigation said Pearson, a seven-year

patrol veteran assigned to the Virginia district, was justified in the

shooting.

"The ultimate decision was that the trooper had to use his handgun,"

Langer said, adding that that it was a textbook case of an officer doing

the right thing.

Langer told reporters that it was possible that Lira wanted to be killed

in what is called a "suicide by police." However, Langer added, Lira was

drunk at the time of the shooting and no one knows why he aimed his

rifle at Pearson.

"It was not in a fit of rage," Langer said, because the video showed

what appeared to be a calm Lira.

In 2009, 11 people were killed by Minnesota law enforcement officers and

10 were hurt. Officers fired 188 bullets on duty last year.

The most recent state trooper-involved shooting was last Dec. 2 in

southeast Minnesota.

Lira, 66, of Cherry Township in St. Louis County reportedly had fired

three to five shots minutes earlier at the home where his estranged wife

was staying with her children, ages 1 and 4. No one was hurt, but law

enforcement officers described the home as "under attack."

Pearson was responding to a 911 call when he spotted Lira driving away

from his wife's home, returning to his own home nearby.

The video released Wednesday opens on County Highway 25 at about 11:10

p.m. June 12 as Pearson turned on his car's flashing lights. Lira's car

turned down his driveway on the left, Instead of stopping on the

highway.

The tree-lined driveway can be seen illuminated by the trooper's car

headlights and spotlight.

In front of Lira's isolated trailer home, the car stopped and, as Lira

began to get out, it rolled backwards. Lira put on his brakes to stop

the vehicle.

Pearson also stopped his car and began shouting at Lira.

"Show me your hands right now," Pearson shouted as movement could be

seen in the Chevy's front seat.

As the barrel of a 7mm rifle emerged from the open driver's door,

Pearson five times yelled at Lira: "Drop the gun." On the sixth time, he

added a comment: "Drop the gun or I will kill you."

Lira slowly got out of his car, closing the driver's door behind him and

cocked the rifle, raising it to his shoulder and pointing it at the

trooper.

The publically released video stops there, but Langer said Pearson then

fired the first of 16 shots from his pistol at Lira, not all hitting

Lira. Langer said the shots came in two volleys.

At one point, Langer added, Lira fired his rifle, but did no damage and

did not injure Pearson, who was the only law enforcement officer there.

In the rural St. Louis County area, it took three or four more minutes

for another officer to arrive, Langer said.

Lira later died at a nearby hospital.

Tags: daily updates, crime news, state news, regional news, st. louis county, donnie joe lira, news, trooper, shooting