How Cops Captured The Minnesota Mass Shooter

It's midnight at the Shady Oaks. apartment complex. A resident is walking. back to his apartment when suddenly. he's shot by an unidentified man. sworn I heard a gunshot or a firecracker.

and I'm not sure which one. >> When police rush to the scene, they're. immediately faced with a barrage of. gunfire targeting anyone who moves and. no idea who or how many shooters are. active. All while dozens of innocent. lives are at fatal risk. >> More shots are being fired right now. >> Just calm down. >> What kind of injury do you have? >> It's a gunshot. >> Okay. Who shot you? >> I don't know. >> Go get her.

>> I'm going to get snipers put up on the. east side. Yes. >> Get over here. GET OVER HERE. >> GET down on the ground now. At approximately 2:17 a.m. on that. Sunday night, officers receive reports. of gunshots near Shady Oaks apartment. complex. Minutes later, around 2:20. a.m., first responder officer Cody Nem. approaches the scene to investigate. Little does he know, the gunshot reports.

were part of a trap set by the shooters, and he was driving straight into it. >> I think I've been shot. Moments after. entering the parking lot, officer Needam. is struck by a bullet as multiple shots. rang out and immediately radios nearby. officers for backup. >> I'm going to the hospital. Dispatch, let. ER know I'm coming. There was a rapid.

succession of shots. Do you know where. it came from? >> It's backed by Shady Oaks. There were. more shots back by Shady Oaks. >> Okay, we need to get a perimeter around. this building. >> Multiple units nearby are now in route. to Shady Oaks. However, the scale of. police response will soon grow much. larger as officers realize the severity. of the situation and the danger posed to. the civilians. But for now, as backup. units head towards the scene, officer. need him speeds towards the hospital.

Still uncertain how severe his injuries. are. I think I've been shot. >> I don't know what the out. >> Go in this room right over here. >> I'll need him receives urgent medical. care. Backup officer Christopher Diesson. and other units make their way towards. Shady Oaks. Completely unaware, they're. stepping into a deadly 8-hour long. standoff.

[music] In rapidly chaotic incidents. like these, officers have no choice but. to make split-second tactical decisions. To fully understand how police manage. such dangerous situations, we'll follow. every tactic and decision through every. stage of the standoff. Starting with. Officer Diesson, who's just arrived on. scene to a barrage of gunfire erupting. unpredictably. >> We don't know what floor they're on. The. shots were presumably coming up in front. of the building.

More shots being fired right now. >> You being shot at. you. >> Okay. >> Just calm down. Calm down.

>> I only have I didn't get hit. some phone. calls and. >> is that your car? >> Mine over there? >> Yeah. >> Officer Diesson and other responding. officers quickly take position behind a. water pump house located near the. parking lot on the west side of the. complex, but there's a more immediate. worry weighing on the officers. Many. civilians remain unaware and exposed. [music] And every gunshot could mean. another innocent resident being.

targeted. With dozens of innocent lives. at stake, Officer Viz Mucin and Tim. Harves arrive near Diesson's location on. the west side, positioning themselves. nearby to help scan the area and. pinpoint where the gunfire is coming. from. fired right now. >> 306 2400 start actually. >> As soon as I got around the corner out. here, he started shooting at.

>> me and me and uh decent pull up here. It. was what, three, four shots. >> And when I put up here before, we got. shot at the door. >> So, somebody's shooting out the window. of the building. Chris, can you come. over here? Okay, >> they're shooting at any law enforcement. that comes through. If we if we go out. any further, we're going to get shot at. >> If this is an active shooter, we need to. get a team ready. We need to probably. start dealing with it. At this stage, the situation facing officers is. extremely dangerous. The Shady Oaks.

apartment complex contains approximately. 126 units. And with near zero visibility. and gunshots ringing out unpredictably, police have no way of pinpointing. exactly where the shooters are located. Whether they're barricaded, mobile, or. roaming freely, or even how many. shooters are active. What's more. alarming is that officers don't yet. realize they're dealing with a carefully. planned ambush. And the next few minutes. will make that terrifyingly clear. We want to get eyes on the building. We.

need to get. >> cars there. >> We need to get back over here, right? >> Yeah. So, we're going to have to We're. probably going to have. Where the is this guy? >> He's close. >> Yeah, >> he's outside, I bet. >> Okay. He's He's running across.

>> You see him? >> He's running. >> Where? >> Where is he running to? North. >> Ran that way. He ran that direction. Somebody. >> I don't know if he got shot at or what, but someone just ran across the back. lot. >> He's running towards the back. >> I don't know if it was him or someone. that got shot at. >> Someone running. >> Correct. They ran out here in that. direction. >> Did you not see? >> No, they're behind the trees here. Other. side of the trees. >> What is that? You think that's a high.

power rifle or. >> something? HIGH. >> Calm down. Do not blow me over. >> Shot at his house. >> It's coming from the front of the. building. It impacted the road on Little. Fourth. One of the shots officers just heard was. aimed at a resident who stepped outside. the building, completely unaware of the. active threat. He was struck and.

immediately ran away. With danger. escalating and officers still unsure how. many shooters they're dealing with or. even where the next shot might come. from, their immediate focus shifts to. two critical priorities. First, identify. and engage the source of the gunfire. Second, secure the perimeter and. evacuate civilians inside and outside. the building to prevent further. casualties. However, officers still. don't have a key to access the building. from any side, adding a major. complication to their plan. So, to move.

forward, Officer Dies and Harves. formulate a tactical plan. One group. remains in position, carefully engaging. and distracting the shooters to pinpoint. their exact locations and number. Meanwhile, a second group cautiously. moves around the perimeter, evacuating. civilians from areas exposed to gunfire. It's important to understand that. incidents like these are not only. traumatic for the officers working them, but they can often have the same effect. on people simply watching these videos.

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and get 10% off your first month of. therapy. With that said, let's get back. to the scene. The evacuation team is. about to spread out and begin sweeping. the west side of the perimeter. With the. shooters identity still unknown, they. have to treat everyone they encounter as. a potential threat. >> Come here. Hey, come here. Do you have a. key fob to the building? >> Yes, sir. >> Okay. >> Are you okay? >> Yeah. My back was shooting. You're took. out the sidewalk instead. Oh, you're so.

scared. I love surprisingly. See you. >> I I heard it. I was standing in my. kitchen doing. >> here. And I think it's the second floor. >> So you think it's the second floor? >> I'm ready for a creeper. It's the second. floor on the far side. >> Okay. >> Go. Go back to your car. Stay in there. Okay. >> Officer Viz Musen manages to clear this. first encounter with a resident safely. But as he moves further into the parking. lot, he spots someone he believes might. be one of the shooters.

>> [music]. >> Stop right now. Stop. Turn around. Drop to your knees. I got a guy that just walked out. He's. in the parking lot. I got him at. gunpoint. I need somebody down here.

Stay where you're at right now. >> Okay. We got somebody shooting from your. building right now. Okay. >> Okay. Okay. Take him. Go to him. Stop. Ma'am, come here. Come here. Come here. It's police department. Come here. There's somebody shooting from your.

building right now. Okay, keep your hands out of your pockets, please. >> I'm sorry. >> Go to that red car over there. >> Okay, >> go. >> The individuals turn out to be. residents, completely unaware of the. danger they've just narrowly avoided. But Resmusen's attention quickly shifts. towards two more residents exiting from. the back of the building. One clearly. injured and struggling. Keith, you got up in the building.

This way. This way. >> Okay. Come on. >> Come on. >> Okay. Right here. >> Now, I handed my phone off, so I have no. way back. >> Okay. Well, you're not going back in. anyway. So you're fine.

>> Are you hurt at all, sir? Or just the. one? >> Excuse me. >> Okay. >> I'm right here. >> That light pole right there. The light. >> Okay. >> What kind of injury do you have? >> It's a gunshot. >> Okay. Who shot you? >> I don't know. I come out that door we. just came out of was facing that way and. that's when I got shot. >> Okay. Come right over here, sir. Just hop right into the back seat on. that side.

>> One of the civilians encountered by. police is Shady Oaks resident Daniel. Thorp, the same person officers spotted. running away earlier after being. targeted by gunfire. Daniel is now the. second confirmed victim following. officer Cody needed him. Unfortunately, they won't be the only casualties as the. night continues. >> Okay, she has been hit. GET OVER HERE. GET. OVER HERE. >> GET DOWN ON THE GROUND. NOW,

>> by now, multiple SWAT teams have been. requested to assist with the situation, but Daniel's close call underscores just. how deadly the situation remains for the. countless residents, both inside and. outside the complex. Many of them are. still going about their night, not even. realizing they're in any danger. Thankfully, Officer Viz Mucin gained. crucial intel from the woman he. encountered outside the building. According to her, the shots appear to. originate from an apartment on the front. side of the building, possibly on the. second floor. But most importantly, she.

provides the officer with a key to. access the building. With dozens of. innocent lives still at risk, police. urgently need to devise a plan to. infiltrate the building and evacuate. residents before the shooters have a. chance to move positions or worse, start. targeting residents doortodoor. If the. next steps aren't executed perfectly, the consequences could be catastrophic. With this in mind, Officer Tim Harves.

repositions to a parking lot near Giant. Wash Skyline Express just southeast of. Shady Oaks to meet with command, await. incoming SWAT teams, and strategize. their next move. We haven't been able to get. >> They were thinking maybe like second. floor, but now Chris is saying there's. movement on seventh, but there's. movement all over. If you watch those. windows, nobody's identified where or. who. >> Once I get more SWAT bodies in, I'm. going to start forming up some perimeter. teams to take over on perimeter. I'm.

going to get snipers put up on the east. side. >> Yes. Yeah. So they can all the shots. have been coming from the the front of. the building. By this stage, police have. gained important but conflicting. information about the shooters. Witnesses indicate activity on the. second floor at the front of the. building. Yet, Officer Diesson's group. has reported suspicious movement higher. up, possibly as high as the seventh. floor. With these conflicting reports, the situation remains risky and. unpredictable. So, to gain some control,

multi-jurisdictional SWAT teams are now. in route to help secure the building's. perimeter. deploy snipers and infiltrate. the complex to evacuate civilians. trapped inside. In the meantime, Officer. Christopher Dia and his group continue. to hold a critical position at the west. end, actively scanning the building to. pinpoint how many shooters they were. dealing with and their locations. >> Get on fire. Get on fire.

>> That was about 10 minutes. Yep. >> Correct. Correct. Some are moving. towards this. that did hit across the street, right. across the street from me. Sounds like. bird shot. While Officer Diesson's team. continues to hold their position on the.

west side, a critical oversight is. exposed in the perimeter setup. Road. closures intended to prevent civilian. traffic from entering the active. shooting zone weren't established. quickly enough, allowing unaware drivers. to slip through. This major flaw is. about to lead to disastrous. consequences. >> What? How to control the bleeding. >> You don't go out there. >> GO, GO, GO,

>> GO. >> GET OUT. >> FORTUNATELY, this first vehicle manages. to pass without getting hit. But just. minutes later, officers spot another set. of headlights approaching, heading. directly into the line of fire. in shortly in three. >> shots fired. Shots fired.

>> Three shots. >> Shots fired. >> No, that was three shots. So, >> correct. >> Maybe they're not hitting directly at. us. >> Coming north. >> Vehicle. >> Yep. Vehicle coming northbound on fourth. >> Officers quickly realized the rapid. succession of shots was not directed at. them, but at a civilian vehicle passing. by the front of Shady Oaks. After being.

hit, the driver continues forward, eventually stopping on the west side, still within the active firing zone, but. close to where officers are positioned. That's when they hear the driver's. disturbing screams. Get over here. >> We might have to wait. >> Okay. >> She has been hit. I know. I know. Come on. Let's go.

I should have known. >> You have a tourniquet on you? >> Yeah. >> Okay. I think it's just through and. through. >> It's on your light. >> Help my girlfriend. So, we can't get up there right now. We. cannot get up there right now. >> The injured driver was struck in the leg. and is rapidly losing blood. Officers. quickly apply a tourniquet to control. the bleeding and stabilize him until he. can be transported to the hospital. But.

before they can even catch their breath, another serious problem appears. Other. residents and civilians continue to pass. close to the active firing zone, oblivious to the lethal danger. surrounding them. That's when officer. decent spots something alarming. Someone. riding on a bicycle is suddenly seen. riding straight through the active. firing zone heading directly towards. officers. >> Guy is leaving on a bike right now. >> If you can stop that guy on the bike.

>> Get your hands. GET OVER HERE. GET OVER. HERE. GET DOWN ON THE GROUND. >> Get down ON THE GROUND NOW. >> I AM. >> WHAT THE We got people shooting. out of that building now. We don't. know if it's you yet. >> No, no, sir. >> We don't know that yet. >> We got him proned out right here. We're. checking him. >> I didn't hear no gunshots. >> Are you kidding? >> You guys scared the out of me. >> How do you think we feel? >> Well, I didn't know there was people. shooting each other. What's happening. over there? >> Get them to crawl over there. >> What's happening over there? >> Over here. Okay. Crawl. Crawl.

>> Crawl over here. Come up by the building. here where you're safe. All right. Put. your hands down again. >> We just had somebody get shot out in the. street from here. >> You have anything on you? >> No, sir. Can you take the bag off, please? So, you can yank it. You can. search me if you take the bag off. >> This bag just has a hammer and some. tools. >> Okay. It's not him, obviously. >> No. Stay down. >> Okay. It's obviously not him. >> Okay. Why don't you come up here, sir? Come up by the building where you're.

safe. >> Okay. Now, you hear what we're dealing. with. >> Thankfully, officers quickly determined. the biker was not a threat, managing to. pull him to safety before he was harmed. Immediately afterwards, police units. quickly finished establishing roadblocks. around the complex, finally preventing. further civilians from entering the. danger zone. With no targets in sight, the shooting abruptly stops. This brief pause gives officers an. opportunity to reassess their positions. as they wait for SWAT support, unaware.

of the violent escalation just hours. away. priority. >> Do you think it's gone quiet cuz he just. hasn't had anything to shoot at? >> Yeah, possibly. >> Keep them at a staging point. Keith, we.

have an armored vehicle on scene here. We'll be sending over, I believe. At. approximately 4:00 a.m., SWAT armored. vehicles finally arrive on the opposite. side of the building, marking a critical. turning point in the operation. For the. first time, officers have the tactical. support they need to close in and bring. the shooters into custody. >> Yeah, we've got four individuals here. now. Get them out of here. >> You want to jump in with him? >> Yeah. >> All right, we're coming. Thanks for. coming. >> Yeah. I know our team's setting up too,

so we'll be over here soon. >> Not what we expected. >> Oh. >> With SWAT teams now on scene, a sniper. unit quickly moves into position on the. east side of the Shady Oaks complex, giving officers critical visibility. At. the same time, entry teams on the west. side prepare for their next move. It's. finally time to move inside the. building. >> Here we'll cover you. Get up there. Go. one at a time. Okay, >> I'm going to move. Right.

>> Yep. I'm moving. >> 306. We're by the dumpster where you. were. What's your 20? It's going to keep.

You got to get out of here. Just walk. down. >> After carefully evacuating ground floor. residents over the next 2 hours, SWAT. teams successfully secure the lower. levels, ensuring the shooters have no. path to escape. As the sun rises over Shady Oaks, police. gain a critical advantage, daylight. With improved visibility, they deploy. drones overhead, giving officers a.

clear, real-time view of the complex. As. the drone hovers above Shady Oaks, officers notice movement on the third. floor. Someone barricaded near a window. in apartment 303. Snipers positioned. across the street quickly adjust their. aim towards the apartment while officers. remain on high alert, knowing other. suspects could be hidden throughout the. building. Over the next hour, tensions. escalate as the barricaded shooter fires. and destroys a police drone monitoring. his position. At around 8:00 a.m.,

negotiation teams attempt to make. contact, urging the shooter to surrender. peacefully. [music]. But despite repeated attempts, he. refuses to respond. By 10:00 a.m., after over 8 hours of. standoff and with peaceful options. exhausted, an armored SWAT vehicle pulls. up directly into the shooters line of. sight, preparing to launch enough tear. gas canisters to saturate the entire. apartment.

Moments after the gas enters the. apartment, the barricaded suspect moves. to the window. For the first time, officers see his face. It's a young man. barely out of his teens, armed and ready. to fire back. >> Following the shooter's reaction, a. single, carefully aimed sniper shot. shatters the apartment window, sending. shards of glass directly into the. shooter's forehead. Moments later, he.

appears from the window, holding a towel. to his face, clearly weakened and. disoriented. A SWAT team immediately. rushes to apartment 303 to apprehend the. shooter. Inside, they find him wounded, but. cooperative, quickly placing him into. custody and escorting him out of the. building. >> 25 minutes in the freezer. Big ass baggy pants. >> Check down by his feet.

>> Nothing on his feet. >> Your legs real quick. >> I have nothing. >> Hands pulled up on me. >> My arm. >> You want to switch over? >> I can get I owe you. The shooter is soon. identified as Devon Matthew Wayland. Inside his apartment, officers recover. multiple firearms, including the rifle.

used throughout the standoff. Officers. continue to search the complex, and. after a thorough sweep, they find no. other threats, confirming Devon was the. only shooter. As he is transported to. the hospital for medical treatment, detectives begin rehashing details of. the shooting. That's when they make a. troubling discovery. The initial 911. call reporting fireworks had been placed. by Devon himself. >> I could have sworn I heard a gun or a. firecracker and I'm not sure which one.

>> Investigators quickly realized the call. was a deliberate [music] attempt to lure. responding officers directly into his. line of fire. Given the calculated. nature of the ambush, they suspect that. Devon may not have acted alone, that he. could be linked to a larger threat, perhaps associated with an extremist. group or a broader violent plan. With. this in mind, detectives bring Devon. straight into an interrogation room as. soon as he is medically cleared, urgently seeking answers about his true. motives and whether any additional.

attacks were placed. >> Hey, Deon. >> Hello. How are you? >> I've been better. Yeah, it looks like. it. Feeling okay, though. Can you Is. that okay? Revisit? >> Okay. Now, let's back up to the day. before the incident and just talk to us. about your day and kind of what's going. on. >> Everything seemed all right. Everything. seemed fine. But, uh, >> these ex-friend of mine, they wanted to. hang out with me and it was going to be. his girlfriend's birthday, the 21st. birthday. So, they wanted to party and. drink. Well, I am uh I do like political.

cussion. I like to see people's views. and ask them why they think of that so I. can respect them deeper and. >> political stuff. >> Yep. But it just turns out that they're. exeers and I think one guy was tweaking. there. This guy's name was Seth. something and they're all like trying to. they're saying I'm getting in their face. and screaming at them. I'm partially. deaf from working in machinery. I said. I'm sorry. I'll get out down on my hands. and knees. I'll show you I'm not being. violent. This woman was saying get on my. man's face and I'm like I'm not in your. man's face. I'm just saying this is how. I view about the situation because how.

can I respect you? You've been nothing. but nice to me. was so she has until. this point on. And Jud said, "Get out of. his face." I said, "Not on your face.". He pushed me. He wasn't trying to fight. me. So, I fought him and Jordan got on. me and he tried fighting me and he. claimed he was trying to make sure there. would be no fight to happen. But that. was the last straw. And for some reason, I felt like because no one would believe. my side of the story, I had my firearms. out and ready to use just in case. anything did happen, which I didn't want. it to, but I had an accidental discharge. of my Mos rifle and had one bullet for. it. I'm not sure. >> What kind of rifle was it?

>> Moene. >> Okay. That was a mental slip up. I haven't. been employed in a year. >> Uhhuh. >> And my grandfather died three years ago. I just wanted it. And I didn't want to. ever shoot a cop. That's why I. surrendered. >> Were you Were you aiming at anything. throughout the. >> cars rounds? Just the cars trying to get. the cops to come so they'd shoot me. I. didn't want to shoot the cops. I didn't. want to shoot anybody else. So the cars. so that they would shoot me. But I. >> couldn't I couldn't I couldn't myself. It's against my. >> my own views. I would have to have. somebody else me theoretically. So.

that's where that that idea I know it. sounds really up. I wanted to. live. I tried telling myself this and. that, but. >> under last night's situation or an. ordeal, it just got too much to me too. fast. >> So um do you remember what exactly you. told the dispatcher when you called in? >> It sound like there was a a gunshot or. fireworks or some type of discharge like. some type of fire shot. >> So when did if you said the word. fireworks, would you mean fireworks from. a gun or actually fireworks? >> I don't know. Did I say fireworks? Where.

are you going? >> I don't know if I did. I don't know if I. did. >> Okay. >> Perhaps the most striking [music] thing. about Devon's confession is his. description of feeling trapped between a. desperate wish to die and an inability. to harm himself. A psychological state. commonly known as by cop, where someone. intentionally provokes law enforcement. into using deadly force to end their own. life. Following the interrogation, detectives determined that Devon Wayland.

acted alone, ruling out connections to. any larger extremist groups. Devon. admitted to intentionally provoking. police to respond with deadly force. driven by anger and humiliation after an. earlier confrontation at a party. Thankfully, the three victims wounded in. the shooting, including Officer Cody. Neim, would ultimately recover from. their physical injuries.