Officer Involved Shooting Video Released After Wanted Posters Pop Up Bearing Deputy’s Name and Picture

Originally published 7:09 a.m. April 14th, 2022

Updated 7:21 a.m. April 14th, 2022

(KNSI) — The Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office is releasing bodycam footage of an officer-involved shooting last month after wanted posters with the deputy’s name and picture began circulating, accusing him of attempted murder.

According to a press release from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, a deputy tried to initiate a traffic stop on Highway 200 at about 1:30 a.m. March 13th, when the driver fled. Deputies got the car stopped using a pursuit intervention technique. Two of the six people in the car, including the driver, ran off. As the deputy tried to detain the four others, he noticed that 20-year-old Shequoya Deanne Basswood had a gun. According to a statement from Mahnomen County Sheriff Josh Guenther, the deputy “began to retreat away from her, drawing his firearm, ordering her to drop the gun.” He says Basswood turned toward the deputy, “cycled the action on the firearm, and pointed it at him.” The deputy then fired his gun, hitting Basswood, and the video ended.

Basswood was treated for a gunshot wound and is expected to recover fully. She was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree attempted murder, fleeing a police officer, and being in possession of a gun without a permit. She also had an outstanding warrant for second-degree riot, first-degree assault, and interfering with a 911 call after an alleged assault in June of 2021.

Guenther says he is releasing the video in the name of transparency after the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar created a wanted poster with the deputy’s name and photo on it, saying he is a suspect that is wanted for attempted murder. He says the poster poses a significant safety risk to the deputy, and “The intent of releasing this video is to make the public aware of the facts.”

The coalition is demanding the prosecution of two officers who shot Jamar Clark in 2015. They were both cleared of any wrongdoing after it was determined Clark was resisting arrest and tried to take an officer’s gun. The group contends he was shot while handcuffed on the ground. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says evidence showed Clark’s DNA on the handle of an officer’s gun and no evidence on his arm that Clark was cuffed. Ten officers and paramedics interviewed as witnesses also said Clark was not handcuffed. The United States Department of Justice also declined to prosecute.

KNSI is declining to name the deputy as they have not been charged with any crime.

___