Authorities say the suspect was shot about 6 p.m. Sunday after exiting his vehicle and physically fighting with the officer. The officer shot the man during the fight.

The shooting in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood comes as police deal with a stretch of violence in the city which caused Police Chief Todd Axtell to beef up street patrols.

In a Facebook post, Axtell said the officer was “faced with one of the most gut-wrenching situations imaginable.” He extended condolences to the man who died and said his department will do what it can to support the officer. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.

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