St. Paul man called mother during police standoff, 911 records show

Emergency dispatch records show that a St. Paul man shot and killed by police in March called his mother during the standoff and told her he was afraid for his life.

Police were called to the 400 block of White Bear Avenue on the afternoon of March 16 after neighbors reported that Justin Todd Tolkinen, 28, was armed and yelling.

A neighbor who called 911 told Ramsey County Dispatch that Tolkinen was "waving around a gun, and he's got a vest on," according to a transcript of the call provided by the St. Paul Police Department.

Neighbors told MPR News that the standoff lasted about 45 minutes, during which Tolkinen cursed at police officers and yelled.

St. Paul police said they tried "nonlethal" methods to apprehend Tolkinen before shooting him. Four officers were involved in the incident.

A caller identifying herself as Tolkinen's mother called 911 that afternoon.

"I saw on the newspaper or on the news, there's like a shooting with an officer," the woman told the dispatcher. "I was just wondering if you could tell me anything about that."

She said Tolkinen called her that afternoon and told her police officers were pointing guns at him at his home.

"I know he has some mental health issues and so he's afraid they were going to kill him," she said.

Court records show that Tolkinen had struggled with mental illness and drug use.

The St. Paul Police Department said its investigation of the incident is ongoing and hasn't yet been forwarded to the Ramsey County Attorney for consideration.