Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Joshua Clayton Hippler
Age : 27
Gender : Male
Race : White
Date : 07/30/2022
Location : Highway 63 near Highway 52 overpass
City : Rochester
County : Olmsted
State : Minnesota
Agency : Rochester Police Department
Officer(s) :Michael Bottcher Jr.
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during traffic stop during investigation
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 07/30/2022, officers with the Rochester Police Department stopped a vehicle on Highway 63 near the Highway 52 overpass while investigating an armed robbery that had occurred earlier that evening. Joshua Clayton Hippler exited the vehicle during the stop.
According to police, Hippler walked toward officers while holding an ax and ignored repeated commands to stop and drop it. Officer Michael Bottcher Jr. fired six rounds, striking Hippler. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Body-worn camera footage was later released as part of the investigation. In the video, Hippler can be heard shouting, "I didn't do nothing!" as he walks toward officers. Because the encounter occurred at night, the video does not clearly show whether Hippler was holding an ax as he approached, making it difficult to independently assess police statements about what officers could see before the shooting.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigated the shooting. In October 2022, the Olmsted County Attorney concluded that Officer Michael Bottcher Jr.'s use of deadly force was legally justified under Minnesota law and declined to file criminal charges.
