Officer Returned to Duty

A statement was released through the City’s Communication Coordinator, Lee Stoffel, on Tuesday afternoon, October 30th, confirming that Officer Geoffrey Latsch , identified by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension as causing the death of Keagan Johnson-Lloyd on October 1st, has been returned to active duty as of October 25th. The statement asks for continued patience and support as the investigation continues. KDWA did contact the BCA Monday, asking for the results of their nearly monthlong investigation into the late afternoon shooting, that resulted in the death of Johnson-Lloyd.
Latsch was one of two Hastings Police officers that responded to a call made by the public, after an earlier altercation involving Johnson-Lloyd and a housemate at a Hastings residence, brought law enforcement to search for the subject for nearly 2 hours. Johnson-Lloyd was reported to be in the area of 15th Street and Walnut Street, where an exchange took place that ended with multiple shots fired by Latsch. BCA Communications Liasion Jill Oliviera also told KDWA that their investigation in ongoing and no information will be released until the matter has been turned over to the Dakota County Attorney.
We also requested a statement by Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom who confirmed that the case has not yet be forwarded to his office. The statement from the city includes the expectation that the investigation will be concluded within the next 30 days. There has been no statement made by Chief Schafer on the investigation into the initial assault against the unnamed man.