The family of the man, identified as Ricardo Torres, killed by an Olivia police officer, Aaron Clouse, on Sunday is demanding an FBI investigation of the incident. As reported by The Minnesota Sun, the suspect was shot and killed on Sunday morning after the person supposedly approached the police officer with a weapon in an alleyway.
The official statement from the city said that the Olivia police officer “was confronted by an armed individual in an alley. … An altercation took place between the officer and the individual which resulted in the officer discharging their firearm.” As more details emerge, it appears that the initial description of the incident was correct.
The family of Torres wants answers, saying they are “concerned” about what happened. Torres’ girlfriend said in a statement that “He didn’t deserve this. Family is hurt. This officer not only targeted him, but targeted a lot of people.” According to FOX 9, the officer involved had previously arrested Torres two years ago for outstanding warrants and used his taser, a fact which the family says is enough to warrant further investigation. They have asked for an FBI investigation because of the “history” that Office Clouse and Torres had.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension stated that a shotgun was recovered from the scene of the shooting. FOX 9 reported that Clouse believed Torres was pointing a sawed-off shotgun at him and when Torres refused to put the gun down, Clouse shot him.
Officer Clouse is currently on administrative leave, as is typical for police officers involved in shooting incidents. The situation is still under investigation by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, as continued calls for “accountability” within police departments have been given.
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Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun | Star News Network and The College Fix. She graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Northwestern-St. Paul. Send news tips to [email protected].
