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Craig Allen Knutson

Age : 45

Gender : Male

Race : White

Date : 09/07/2021

Location : Interstate 94 near mile marker 139, approximately 13 miles west of Mandan

City : New Salem

County : Morton

State : North Dakota

Agency : North Dakota Highway Patrol; Morton County Sheriff’s Office

Officer(s) :Trooper Stephen Mayer

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during vehicle pursuit

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

n 09/07/2021, North Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper Steven Mayer shot and killed 45-year-old Craig Knutson of Billings, Montana, after a 21-mile police chase on Interstate 94 in Morton County. The encounter began with a citizen report of a reckless driver traveling eastbound on I-94. Morton County sheriff’s deputies initially pursued Knutson, and Mayer joined the pursuit.
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Police attempted to stop Knutson approximately seven miles east of Hebron. Knutson continued driving east at approximately 70–75 mph. The pursuit therefore originated specifically from the reckless-driving report rather than from a warrant, stolen vehicle or unrelated criminal investigation.
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During the pursuit, Knutson himself called 911 and remained in communication with a dispatcher. According to the later North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation records and released 911 recording, Knutson told the dispatcher he had a gun and intended to shoot himself. He repeatedly asked that police back off, said he would not stop for officers and said he had no intention of harming anyone else.
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A Morton County deputy deployed spike strips, deflating the van’s left-front tire. Knutson nevertheless continued east for approximately another three miles, eventually slowing to about 10 mph. Mayer then used his patrol vehicle to perform a PIT maneuver, spinning Knutson’s van sideways and bringing it to a stop near mile marker 139.
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Mayer exited his patrol vehicle and repeatedly ordered Knutson to show his hands. Dash-camera/audio evidence released after the investigation recorded Mayer giving commands and then alerting the three Morton County deputies that Knutson had a gun.
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The subsequent BCI investigation established more detail than authorities initially released. Knutson remained in the vehicle. Mayer reported seeing the handgun and fired one round from his handgun at approximately the same time a Morton County deputy fired one less-lethal round from a shotgun. Mayer’s gunshot struck and killed Knutson.
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A revolver was recovered from Knutson’s vehicle. Early Highway Patrol briefings specifically declined to say whether Knutson had fired the gun, whether he had been pointing it at police or even whether he was holding it when Mayer shot him. Later released records and video formed the basis for the prosecutor’s conclusion that Mayer reasonably perceived an immediate armed threat.
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No officer was wearing a body camera. Mayer’s own dash camera did not visually capture the shooting because his patrol vehicle had been positioned against Knutson’s van during the PIT maneuver. Dash-camera evidence and audio from the police vehicles, however, documented portions of the pursuit and final encounter and were subsequently publicly released along with investigative records.
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The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducted the outside investigation. BCI turned its findings over to the Morton County State’s Attorney’s Office for an independent criminal review.
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In October 2021, the Morton County State’s Attorney’s Office concluded that Mayer’s shooting of Knutson was justified as defense of himself and others and declined criminal charges. North Dakota Highway Patrol conducted its own administrative review and separately concluded that Mayer acted within department policy. He was returned to duty.
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The Highway Patrol then released video, 911 audio, BCI investigative material, Morton County Sheriff’s Office records and the prosecutor’s decision. The evidence established that Knutson had explicitly told the 911 dispatcher during the pursuit that he possessed a gun and was suicidal while also stating that he did not intend to harm police.
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OFFICER BACKGROUND
Steven Mayer was the North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper who shot and killed Craig Knutson. Mayer fired one handgun round during the final encounter. A Morton County deputy simultaneously fired a less-lethal shotgun round but was not identified as firing lethal ammunition.
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Knutson’s killing was notable within the agency because it was the North Dakota Highway Patrol’s first fatal shooting involving a trooper since 2010.
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The Highway Patrol reported after the shooting that Mayer had no disciplinary history. A broader search of available court records and later reporting did not establish another fatal police shooting by Mayer before Knutson’s death. Mayer remained with the North Dakota Highway Patrol afterward and continued serving with the agency’s K-9 program.
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AGENCY RECORD
North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, rather than the North Dakota Highway Patrol or Morton County Sheriff’s Office, conducted the criminal investigation because personnel from both agencies participated in the pursuit and Mayer fired the fatal shot. The case was then independently reviewed for possible criminal charges by the Morton County State’s Attorney’s Office.
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The investigation produced an unusually substantial public evidentiary record for the encounter. After Mayer was cleared, authorities released dash-camera material, Knutson’s 911 call, BCI investigative reports, Morton County Sheriff’s Office records and the prosecutor’s written review, permitting the sequence preceding the shooting to be compared with the agencies’ initial public account.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.kvrr.com/2021/10/06/watch-trooper-justified-in-morton-county-shooting-dashcam-video-released/
https://apnews.com/article/shootings-north-dakota-montana-billings-1a5b91466a9042f36745bb4475881ea9
https://apnews.com/article/billings-north-dakota-montana-shootings-5336a91c0e76ebd0365ab7b21e7b5bd0
https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/update-authorities-release-name-of-north-dakota-trooper-who-fatally-shot-montana-man
https://www.thedickinsonpress.com/news/video-shows-what-led-up-to-north-dakota-troopers-fatal-shooting-of-chase-suspect
https://news.prairiepublic.org/local-news/2021-10-06/highway-patrol-trooper-was-justified-in-shooting-after-a-reckless-driver-pursuit
https://www.nd.gov/ndhp/sites/www/files/documents/News/2021%20Media%20Release/October-2021-Media-Release/2021.10.05.MortonCounty.NDHPOfficerInvolvedShooting.UPDATE.pdf