BCA IDs Minnesota Man Who Died After Being Tased During Eviction
Willmar, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office has identified the Willmar man who died on Monday after he was tased by a Sheriff's deputy while he was being evicted from his apartment.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the cause of 75-year-old Michael James Tanacheak's death has yet to be determined. The BCA today also identified the law officer who deployed his taser as Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Deputy Riley Kampsen. The BCA says he has five years of law enforcement experience.
A preliminary investigation into the fatal incident indicates Deputy Kampsen, another Kandiyohi County deputy, and two Willmar police officers were sent to the man's apartment Monday morning to conduct a court-ordered eviction. After Yanacheak did not respond to the officers repeatedly knocking on his door, the apartment manager was able to pry the door open and the law officers entered the residence.
The BCA says the officers encountered Yanacheak in a bedroom, where he picked up a kitchen knife and walked toward them. The deputies and police officers responded by attempting to retreat and exit the apartment, but at one point, Deputy Kampsen grabbed his taser and shocked the elderly man.
Yanacheak then collapsed and the law enforcement officers administered medical care at the scene before he was transported to the Willmar hospital where he later died. The preliminary BCA report also states that a Willmar police officer recovered a knife at the scene and turned it over to BCA crime scene personnel.
The evidence being reviewed by the BCA also includes video recorded by cameras worn by Deputy Kampsen and the Willmar police officers. It was also noted that no one involved in the incident discharged a firearm.
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