BCA identifies man, officers involved in Richfield force incident

ST. PAUL — The Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man who died during an April 29 use-of-force incident in Richfield as Desaver Brian Hollis, 27, of Plymouth.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified the officers from the Richfield Police Department who used force during this incident. The Richfield Police Department has placed both officers on critical incident leave. 

• Sgt. Mario Leon fired his department-issued firearm. He has six years of law enforcement experience.  
• Sgt. Kristian Schultz deployed his department-issued taser and fired his department-issued firearm. He has eight years of law enforcement experience. 

According to the BCA’s preliminary investigation, Richfield police officers began investigating a reported theft from a vehicle on the 7500 block of Morgan Avenue S. shortly before 3:30 a.m. on April 29. Investigating officers quickly obtained surveillance video of the incident and developed a suspect description.

At approximately 3:38 a.m., about one block from the original reported theft, officers located a male matching the suspect description. Officers attempted to stop the man, later identified as Hollis, on the 7500 block of Oliver Avenue S., at which point he fled on foot. 

As the foot chase continued, Sgt. Leon caught up to Hollis and attempted to take him into custody. Sgt. Schultz also engaged at that point and deployed his Taser, striking Hollis from a distance.

Sgt. Leon and Hollis both went to the ground, and a brief struggle ensued. Sgt. Leon was able to regain his footing while Hollis remained on his back. Hollis then raised a handgun and fired at Sgt. Leon, striking him in the hand.

Sgt. Schultz and Sgt. Leon returned fire, striking Hollis. Officers immediately provided medical aid to Hollis until medics arrived. Hollis was pronounced dead at the scene.

BCA crime scene personnel recovered a handgun and spent casings. Body-worn cameras were in use and captured portions of this incident. 

The Richfield Police Department requested the BCA investigate the use-of-force. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation on charges to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for review.