Alleged carjacking suspect shot by police in Mounds View ID'd as a 21-year-old St. Paul man

Nick Ferraro, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Dec. 2—The alleged armed carjacker who was shot by police inside a Mounds View liquor store Sunday and died has been identified as a 21-year-old from St. Paul.

Noah Douglas Kelley died of multiple gunshot wounds at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis about an hour after being shot by police officers at Merwin Liquors at 2531 Mounds View Blvd., the Hennepin County medical examiner's office said Thursday.

The cause of death is homicide, which is being investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

The BCA identified the officers on Thursday who fired their guns as Mounds View Sgt. Michael Hanson, who has worked in law enforcement for six years, and New Brighton officer John Thomas, who has two years of experience. They are on standard administrative leave.

Body-worn and squad cameras captured portions of the incident, according to the BCA.

When the investigation is complete, the BCA said it will provide its findings without recommendation to the Ramsey County attorney's office for review.

Shortly before the shooting, Kelley allegedly confronted a man who was waiting for his wife in his sport-utility vehicle with his 3-year-old son outside an Aldi grocery store, according to a woman who said the driver is her son-in-law.

Once Kelley was inside the SUV, he pointed a gun at the driver and told him to drive to Merwin Liquors at the other end of the strip mall, Mounds View Police Chief Nate Harder said in a Sunday night statement.

As officers approached the store, an employee ran outside and said a gunman was inside by himself. Mounds View and New Brighton police officers went inside, where they were "confronted by the armed suspect" and officers fired their guns about 7:15 p.m., according to Harder.

Kelley leaves behind a wife, Danielle, and their infant daughter, Lahnnora, according to a fundraising page set up by a family member at gofundme.com/f/j8agk-unexpected-loss.

"He was loving, caring, goofy, and brilliant and he made one mistake being in the wrong place and wrong time that costed his life," reads the page, which as of Thursday night had raised over $3,000 for Kelley's wife and daughter.