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City to pay former MPD Sgt. involved In Stallings beating
Bittell can be heard on body camera telling his unit, “Alright we’re rolling down Lake Street. The first f – rs we see we’re hammering them with 40’s.”
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis City Council is set to approve a six-figure workers compensation settlement for Sgt. Andrew Bittell – who ordered his unit to target civilians with rubber bullets and was involved in the beating of Jaleel Stallings.
It’s one of a number of settlements the Council will vote on next week for former MPD officers totaling nearly $800,000.
The city has paid tens of millions of dollars in workers comp claims to former officers in the wake of George Floyd’s murder, many for PTSD claims. An attorney representing most of the officers told KARE 11 in late 2021 that he expected the claims to exceed $35 million dollars.
Body camera footage that came to light as Stallings defended himself against attempted murder charges showed what led up to an incident in which Stallings fired at officers.
Bittell can be heard on body camera telling his unit, “Alright we’re rolling down Lake Street. The first f – rs we see we’re hammering them with 40’s.” 40’s refer to 40-millimeter less lethal rounds.
As they drove in an unmarked white van they can be seen firing without warning on civilians walking down the street.
When they approached Stallings, a military veteran who was licensed to carry, they fired two rounds at him. Not knowing they were police, Stallings returned fire.
Video shows Stallings surrendering when he learned he’d fired at police officers and laying face first on the ground with his hands raised above his head.
Officers from Bittell’s unit and Bittell proceeded to kick and punch him. One officer, Justin Stetson, pleaded guilty to the crime in court.
Body camera footage would later show Bittell lying about the incident – saying Stallings had resisted arrest.
Stallings sued and settled with the City of Minneapolis for $1.2 million.
Despite that, no one has ever been disciplined by MPD. Bittell continued to work for the force until June 2022 – two years after the assault on Stallings.
Upon hearing of Bittell’s disability claim, Stallings said he doesn’t begrudge first responders like police officers and firefighters the ability to be compensated for PTSD on the job. But, he said there also has to be accountability.
“This is an officer who has caused the city millions of dollars in financial liability and not had to pay a dime back or had to answer for any of the actions that he’s done to cause it- yet at the drop of a dime they’re willing to give him well over 100 grand,” Stallings said.
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Prosecutors say Mychal Allan Stowers was on work release from prison when he shot his pregnant ex-wife, and then shot another man during a carjacking.
ST PAUL, Minn. — St. Paul police are looking for a man now charged with two counts of second-degree murder after allegedly shooting his ex-wife and her unborn child.
A criminal complaint filed against 37-year-old Mychal Allan Stowers details the two murder counts as well as carjacking and assault charges associated with his getaway.
St. Paul squads were dispatched to 139 Sycamore St. E. just after 9 p.m. Oct. 19 on reports of shots fired. Arriving officers were met by residents who told them they heard gunshots in apartment 3. Police entered the apartment and found a woman laying on the floor surrounded by spent 9mm shell casings. Paramedics responded and declared the victim dead just before 9:30 pm.
Police later identified the victim as 35-year-old Damara Alexis Stowers.
Investigators on the scene found a loaded handgun on a bed in a different bedroom, along with photos from an ultrasound. In the apartment mailbox were two letters, one addressed to the victim and the other to a Mychal Stowers. While officers were in the apartment a cellphone rang, and the contact name that showed was “My$hon Stowers.”
Neighbors described seeing a heavyset man in his late 30s or 40s running from the scene. One told officers he heard four or five shots from the apartment, walked outside, and soon heard two more from a few blocks away.
The owner of the building told police the victim was in the process of being evicted, and that her ex-boyfriend had been living in the apartment with her, which was against the lease.
Additional officers were dispatched to 99 Acker Street, a few blocks from the apartment shooting scene, at around 9:15 p.m. on reports of a carjacking. They found a man who had been shot in the leg, breaking his femur. The victim’s friend said they were standing outside a running vehicle when a heavyset Black male ran up, said something they did not understand and then shot the victim. The assailant then stole the running gray Audi.
The complaint states that on the same day an employee of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office reported that Mychal Stowers called, said he had shot someone and wanted to turn himself in. Despite the call, Stowers did not turn himself in.
Records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) show Stowers was released from prison in March after serving time for another murder, was on work release and supposed to be living at a halfway house. He had had been granted a pass to visit his “ex-wife” at 139 Sycamore.
Preliminary tests show the same gun fired spent shells recovered at both the murder and carjacking scenes, and the defendant matches descriptions of the shooter from witnesses at both scenes.
At this time Michael Stowers is not in custody.
Donald Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023.
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man who pleaded guilty to entering another man’s apartment and shooting him to death last year was sentenced to 20 years in prison Friday.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office released a statement saying 59-year-old Walter Hill was sentenced on second-degree intentional murder charges in 60-year-old Donald Edmondson’s November 2023 killing.
Prosecutors said Hill was given 337 days of credit for time already served.
“Mr. Edmondson should still be alive,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement. “A violent act committed with such disregard by Mr. Hill has taken him from his family. This sentence delivers accountability and protects our community, and I hope it brings some measure of peace to Mr. Edmondson’s loved ones as they attempt to move forward with their lives.”
According to police, Edmondson suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the chest at his north-side apartment building on Nov. 24, 2023.
The attorney’s office said Hill entered his guilty plea Monday.
Turns out, Twin Cities realtor and billboard personality Kris Lindahl is in on the joke.
MINNEAPOLIS — The makers of the video game “Call of Duty” launched a new, locally inspired campaign Friday, coinciding with the release of the franchise’s newest installment, “Black Ops 6.”
Motorists might notice real estate agent Kris Lindahl, famously seen with his arms out over every interstate in town, was replaced by *ahem* “The Replacer,” an Activision character played by actor Peter Stormare.
For the next few weeks, The Replacer will step in for Lindahl not only on billboards but also on advertisements across television, streaming and social media platforms.
But why does Lindahl need The Replacer’s help, you might ask?
So he’s free to play “Black Ops 6,” of course.
The Replacer isn’t new to Minnesota. He also once stepped into the shoes of Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.
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