BCA Identifies Deputy, Suspect in Officer Involved Shooting

GENOLA -- The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has identified the Morrison County sheriff’s deputy who shot a suspect during an assault call.

Deputy Bill Vanden Avond used a less-lethal shotgun to fire a beanbag round on May 22 near Genola.

Avond has been in law enforcement for 11 years, including the past four years with the Morrison County Sheriff’s Office.

The beanbag round struck Robert Anderson of Motley.

Deputies responded to a report of a domestic assault involving a knife at a home in Genola. When authorities arrived the suspect left the scene in a vehicle. The suspect was later found in field about six miles west of town.

Anderson was taken by Mayo Clinic Ambulance to St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls, then by air ambulance to St. Cloud Hospital, and then by air ambulance to Hennepin Healthcare where he continues to receive treatment for a serious injury.

When the BCA’s investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation to the Morrison County Attorney’s Office for review.