St. Paul, MN — Brent P. Ahlers, a white campus security officer at St. Catherine University in Minnesota accidentally shot himself in the shoulder, and then fabricated a story about a Black gunman to cover up his mistake. He says he was afraid that he would get in trouble for the incident.
The university campus, however, was still put on lockdown for hours as more than 50 police officers and four K-9 units searched for the alleged suspect.
The next day after no suspect had been found, Ahlers admitted to police that he made up the story because he was afraid of losing his job. St. Catherine University is a Catholic university for women, and firearms are reportedly not allowed on campus – not even for security personnel.
After being treated for a shoulder wound, Ahlers was arrested and cited for falsely reporting a crime. He was booked into the Ramsey County jail. He was also fired from the university.
Several local Black leaders spoke out in anger.
Dianne Binns, president of the St. Paul NAACP, said, “That’s what black people live with. We’ve been lynched, and we’ve been put in jail to find out later you haven’t done it. That’s the sad thing about it. It hasn’t stopped.”
Tyrone Terrill, president of the St. Paul African-American Leadership Council, also commented, “It’s a sickening thing. He put not only black youth at risk; he put St. Paul police and other law enforcement at risk with his lie.”