The St. Paul police officers who shot and killed an Indigenous woman almost a year ago during a mental health crisis will not face criminal charges, the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office announced Monday.
Pepsi Lee Heinl, 41, was shot mutiple times by officers who were responding to reports of a suicidal woman at a home on the 1100 block of Rose Avenue East on May 6, 2024. The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office found that the force used by officers Chee Lao, Yengkong Lor and Chiking Chazonkhueze was legally justified.
Body-worn camera footage of the incident showed Heinl pointing a gun at officers shortly after they arrived. The officers then fired their weapons. Heinl was struck by gunfire 15 times, according to a 26-page memo written by Ramsey County prosecutors. Law enforcement was unable to trace any of the shell casings or bullets found at the scene to Heinl’s gun.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) investigated the case and presented its findings to the County Attorney’s Office.
In an email sent to staff, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said he agreed with his office’s conclusion that no criminal charges should be filed and that the officers had “no other reasonable choice to do something different.”
“We all wish there could have been a different outcome that did not have to involve the use of deadly force and with Pepsi Lee Heinl losing her life,” Choi wrote.
The officers responded to the house on Rose Avenue over reports of a suicidal woman. A transcript of the 911 call shows that Heinl’s mother called for help.
“My daughter is committing suicide,” the caller says before giving dispatch their home address. “Hurry please!”
Body-worn camera footage released by the St. Paul Police Department shows officers arriving at the home, entering a closed porch and then walking through an open front door. The officer in the lead calls out, “St. Paul police!” a few times as the officers walk into an empty living room.
A woman’s voice calls out, directing the officers to a room at the back of the house: “Here! Back here!”
The footage shows Heinl and a woman, who the memo identifies as Heinl’s mother, sitting on the floor of a bedroom.
“She was turning blue on her mouth and she wasn’t breathing!” Heinl’s mother tells officers as she rocks back and forth holding onto Heinl.
Officers ask Heinl if she’s okay.
“I’m tired,” she replies.
“She’s not okay,” Heinl’s mother says.
The videos then show Heinl pulling out a handgun from underneath a blanket, standing up, and pointing the weapon at the officers. Heinl’s mother reaches her arms out to Heinl as the officers yell and quickly fire multiple shots, causing Heinl to fall onto a bed. The memo says that officers collectively fired 18 shots.
Officers rendered aid, but Heinl was pronounced dead at the scene.
Heinl’s mother was interviewed by BCA investigators after the incident. According to the memo, Heinl’s mother told investigators she believed the police officers shot her daughter because they didn’t want her to hurt anyone.
“The cops, it wasn’t their fault, they were there to help me, to help her, to get her into a hospital,” she told investigators.
An obituary lists Heinl’s name as Biidaanbadoikwe Pepsi Lee Benjamin, and says she was Indigenous and born in Duluth. She most recently had worked as a security officer.
Heinl’s family members could not be reached for comment.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling or texting 988, or text HOME to 741741.
