AUSTIN, Minn.—Police shot and killed a man in a confrontation outside a Kwik Trip convenience store, ending a 24-hour standoff that began in a nearby apartment house. Killed was Kokou Christopher Fiafonou, 38. of Austin. He took multiple bullets and died at the scene. The confrontation was about 9:35 p.m. on Austin’s North Side. In a statement to news media, Police Chief David McKichan said that that one officer fired his weapon. The chief used the word “confrontation” but declined to discuss whether Fiafonez was armed or to name the officer. Other source said the officer as Zachary Gast, who had been with the department two years.
The standoff
The standoff at a nearby apartment building started the afternoon before — around 3:45 p.m., Wednesday. Police had responded to a report of a man walking in traffic with a machete. The man, police said, failed to respond to verbal commands. He went into an apartment building on the 1200 block of 4th Avenue Northwest and, according to police, threatened to hurt people. Negotiators spoke with the man more than 24 hours. During standoff, police lobbed pepper gas and foam to force the man out. Neither worked. Around 9:30 p.m. the man left the apartment building and walked to the nearby Kwik Trip. Officers followed. That’s when the shooting occurred.
Kwik Trip. 1401 Fourth Street Northwest in Austin.