Brent Ahlers, 25, has been charged with a misdemeanor after he accidentally shot himself and blamed it on someone else
A security guard at a Minnesota university has been arrested for falsely reporting a crime after accidentally shooting himself, according to police.
A 25-year-old St. Catherine University guard was taken into custody late Wednesday after he admitted to investigators that he accidentally shot himself while on duty the previous night. He had previously claimed someone else shot him.
Brent Patrick Ahlers, 25, had brought his own weapon to work. He was handling the gun when it fired, shooting himself in the shoulder. He called 911 and was taken to the hospital.
While Ahlers was being treated, a massive manhunt was underway at St. Catherine University.
Police set up a perimeter around campus and 55 officers, four dogs, and even a Minnesota State Patrol aircraft were involved. The campus was under lockdown.
The search was called off shortly after midnight, and the next day Ahlers admitted to making up the story that someone else had shot him because he feared he would lose his job.
Authorities say the guard told investigators he was handling his gun when it fired, striking him in the shoulder. He told police he made up a story that someone had shot him because he feared losing his job at the private, Catholic university in St. Paul.
The accidental shooting took place at St. Catherine’s University in St. Paul, Minnesota
‘(The event) had, basically, 1,800 students held captive in their dorm rooms on the college of St. Catherine,’ Sgt. Mike Ernster said, according to KSTP.
Firearms are forbidden on St. Catherine’s campus and university staff do not carry them.
The guard is being held in Ramsey County Jail and has been charged with a misdemeanor. He has currently been placed on a paid leave of absence while the investigation is underway.
‘Ahlers has been a member of the St. Catherine Department of Public Safety for 15 months, with no reports of misconduct on his record prior to this incident,’ the university president Becky Roloff said in a statement.
‘Before his hiring he had undergone a thorough background check. He holds an associate degree in law enforcement and completed law enforcement skills training at Hennepin Technical College.’
55 officers, four dogs, and a Minnesota State Patrol aircraft were involved in the search for the imaginary suspect