ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified the sheriff’s deputies who discharged their weapons during a fatal officer involved shooting incident on July 13 in Chanhassen. Two officers who discharged their firearms are on standard administrative leave.
- Corporal Jacob Hodge discharged his gun. Corporal Hodge has been with the Carver County Sheriff’s Office for 18 years.
- Deputy Travis Larson discharged his gun, his Taser and his pepper spray. Deputy Larson has been with the department for two years.
- Corporal Josh Baker discharged his Taser. Corporal Baker has been with the department for 11 years.
In addition, the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office on Sunday identified the person who died as Archer Amorosi, 16, of 6451 Oriole Lane in Chanhassen. Amorosi died of multiple gunshot wounds. The BCA is investigating the incident at the request of the Carver County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the home Friday morning following a 911 call from a woman reporting that her son, now identified as Amorosi, was suicidal and was threatening her with knives and a baseball bat.
According to the preliminary investigation, Amorosi refused the deputies’ repeated orders to exit the house. A Taser and pepper spray deployed through a window were ineffective. The deputies remained outside. At one point Amorosi ran out the front door of the home holding a hatchet and what appeared to be a handgun. Deputies continued verbal commands and again deployed a Taser, but it was ineffective. At one point, deputies Hodge and Larson discharged their weapons, striking Amorosi. He was pronounced deceased at the scene.
BCA investigators recovered a hatchet and a handgun-style BB-gun from near Amorosi’s body.
Deputy Larson was transported to 212 Medical Center in Chaska for non-life-threatening injuries. He was treated and released. There were no other injuries and no one else was inside the home at the time of the shooting.
Responding agencies included the Carver and Hennepin County sheriff’s offices, the South Lake Minnetonka and Minnetrista police departments and the Minnesota State Patrol.
Body cameras and dash cam video captured portions of the incident. The BCA’s investigation is ongoing. The BCA will conduct a thorough investigation and gather all of the evidence and then turn its findings over without recommendation to the Carver County Attorney’s Office for review.
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