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Christopher Ryan Junkin

Gender : Male

Age : 44

Race : White

Date : 06/30/2024

Location : Care and Share Homeless Shelter, East Third Street

City : Crookston

County : Polk

State : Minnesota

Agency : Crookston Police Department

Officer(s) :Officer Nick Fladland, Officer Corey Rich, Deputy April Hansen

Cause of Death : Gunshot

Event : Killed by police during mental health crisis

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On June 30, 2024, at approximately 11:45 p.m., officers from the Crookston Police Department and deputies from the Polk County Sheriff's Office responded to reports of a disturbance involving multiple individuals at the Care and Share Homeless Shelter on East Third Street in Crookston, Minnesota. Upon arrival, law enforcement encountered 44-year-old Christopher Ryan Junkin, who was reportedly damaging property and ignoring commands to cease his actions.
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In an attempt to subdue Junkin, Officer Corey Rich deployed his Taser, and Deputy April Hansen utilized both a chemical irritant and her Taser. Despite these efforts, Junkin continued to advance toward the officers as they retreated down a hallway. At this juncture, Officer Nick Fladland discharged his firearm, striking Junkin. Officers administered medical aid; however, Junkin was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Officer Fladland, with five years of law enforcement experience, was placed on critical incident leave following the shooting. Notably, this incident marked the second fatal shooting involving Officer Fladland within a six-week span; he was previously involved in the fatal shooting of a 35-year-old man armed with a hatchet on May 16, 2024.
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The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is conducting an investigation into the incident. Body camera footage capturing portions of the encounter is under review as part of the ongoing investigation.
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Total Fatalities/Injuries: 1 fatality (Christopher Ryan Junkin)

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PREVIOUS SHOOTING BY OFFICER FLADLAND:
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Officer Nick Fladland who shot and killed him had also killed Andrew Scott Dale on May 16, 2024 and was under investigation for this killing when he killed Junkin.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.valleynewslive.com/2024/07/01/use-of-force-investigation-underway-crookston/

Chris Junkin GoFundMe:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bring-chris-home-a-familys-plea?lang=en_US&utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link

Previous killing by Officer Fladland:
https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/minnesota/minnesota-bureau-of-criminal-apprehension-identifies-people-involved-in-crookston-us