The Rochester Officer Who Fired at Armed Suspect Was Previously Involved in 2020 Shooting

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) has identified the Rochester police officer who fired a gunshot at an armed domestic dispute suspect. 

Read More: Charges Filed Against Suspect in Rochester Officer Shooting & Standoff 

The officer-involved shooting occurred moments before a more than four-hour standoff Sunday morning in southwest Rochester. 

Police responded to the domestic dispute report Saturday night and got the suspect into custody without further incident by early Sunday morning. 

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Rochester Officer Who Shot at Armed Suspect Moments Before Standoff Identified

The BCA has identified the Rochester Police Officer as James Perry. Officer Perry has 10 years of law enforcement and has been placed on critical incident leave by the Rochester Police Department. 

Rochester police have confirmed that this is Perry's second-officer involved shooting with the department. In 2020 he fired his weapon at a suspect who had run over an officer and smashed into two squad cars.

Read More: BCA Identifies Rochester Officer Involved in Shooting 

The man arrested following the officer-involved shooting and standoff was identified earlier this week as 29-year-old Luis Enrique Ovalle of Rochester. He’s charged with felony fleeing and felony threats and is being held on $75,000 bail. 

The criminal complaint and the BCA says Rochester police had been tracking Ovalle after receiving reports of him being outside a home in the 3800 block of Willow Ridge Dr. Southwest Saturday night.

Officers later found Ovalle driving near his home in the 2700 block of 1st Ave. Southwest. He refused to pull over and Rochester police backed off. 

Police then parked down the street and converged on his driveway when he returned home, the charges say.  

The BCA says Perry fired a single gunshot at Ovalle after Ovalle produced a rifle and pointed it in the direction of Perry and another officer. Ovalle aimed the gun in Perry’s direction twice, according to the complaint. 

Rochester police, the BCA and criminal complaint all indicate that Ovalle was never struck by the gunfire. 

BCA agents, who were requested to the scene to investigate by the Rochester Police Department, found a spent shell casing. 

They also confirmed that the rifle Ovalle was holding was a replica AR-style airsoft gun.

Upon completion of the investigation the BCA says they will forward their findings without recommendation to the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office for a charging decision.