On a June evening in St. Peter, Minnesota, a fleeing suspect's choice to take refuge in a residential home set in motion a confrontation that tested the fragile boundary between duty and mortality. Officer Austin Buss, who has devoted much of his life to bridging the distance between law enforcement and the communities they serve, was shot while ascending a staircase toward an armed man — and survived, carried home weeks later by the very community he had long worked to protect. The release of body camera footage now opens that private moment of violence to public witness, inviting a broader r
St. Peter releases body cam footage of officer shooting incident
Officer Austin Buss was shot and wounded; suspect Jordan Donahue was killed in the incident.
Blood spattering across the stairwell, and the immediate chaos of an officer struck.
Mark
Why did the city release the body camera footage? Was there pressure to do so, or is this standard procedure after an officer-involved shooting?
Mimi
The source doesn't specify the reasoning behind the release or whether there was external pressure. It just says the footage was released. In Minnesota, there are state laws around body camera disclosure, but the timing and motivation here aren't explained.
Luke
That's an important gap. We know the footage exists and was made public, but we don't know if this was voluntary transparency, a legal requirement, or something else. The reader might assume one thing or another.
Mark
The woman who opened the door—was she a resident, or did she live there? And what happened to her and the juvenile girl after they were escorted out?
Mimi
The source says she was inside the home and that officers found a woman and a juvenile girl there. They were escorted outside, but beyond that, nothing is reported about them. We don't know their relationship to Donahue or what they witnessed.
Luke
That's a real hole. Two civilians were in the home during an armed confrontation. Their experience, their safety, what they saw—none of that is in the record we have.
Mark
How long did the standoff last before Donahue was found dead?
Mimi
The source says authorities "tried for a long period of time to contact Donahue," but it doesn't give a specific duration. We know he was eventually found dead inside, but the timeline of that extended contact attempt is missing.
Luke
"A long period of time" is vague. Was it hours? Minutes? That detail matters for understanding how the situation unfolded and what tactical decisions were made.
Mark
Did Buss's organization, The Brothers In Law, play any role in his recovery or the community response?
Mimi
The source mentions that Buss founded the organization and that it provides support to first responders for healing and recovery. A Facebook post from the organization noted his surgeries were successful, but beyond that, we don't know how active the organization was in his care or the community's response.
Luke
We're told what the organization does in theory, but not what it actually did in this case. That's a distinction worth making.
The Pulse
- A vehicle pursuit out of Mankato ended not on open road but inside a family home, where a shotgun blast turned a stairwell into a scene of sudden, visceral crisis.
- Officer Buss absorbed the blast in his arm and vest, and the footage captures the disorienting seconds that follow — blood, shouted commands, and two officers fighting to regain control.
- After Buss was evacuated for emergency care, a prolonged standoff unfolded in silence until officers discovered suspect Jordan Donahue dead inside the home from return fire.
- Buss endured eight days of hospitalization and multiple surgeries before doctors confirmed his arm had been saved — a fragile but real victory pulled from the wreckage of that night.
- His homecoming on June 26 drew community members to line the highway, a procession that transformed a medical discharge into a collective act of gratitude and grief.
On a June evening in St. Peter, Minnesota, a fleeing suspect's choice to take refuge in a residential home set in motion a confrontation that tested the fragile boundary between duty and mortality. Officer Austin Buss, who has devoted much of his life to bridging the distance between law enforcement and the communities they serve, was shot while ascending a staircase toward an armed man — and survived, carried home weeks later by the very community he had long worked to protect. The release of body camera footage now opens that private moment of violence to public witness, inviting a broader reckoning with the human cost borne on both sides of such encounters.
On the evening of June 18, St. Peter police tracked a fleeing vehicle to Bunker Lane, where the driver, Jordan Donahue, abandoned the car and ran into a nearby home. A woman answered the door with her hands raised as officers entered to search for him. Sergeant Struckman and Officer Austin Buss climbed the stairs, calling out commands — and Donahue fired a shotgun from above.
The blast struck Buss in the arm and his ballistic vest. Both officers returned fire before retreating so Buss could receive immediate medical attention. After an extended and unanswered attempt to make contact, officers found Donahue dead inside the home from gunshot wounds. The entire encounter was captured on body cameras, footage the city has since released to the public.
Buss was airlifted to a Twin Cities medical center, where surgeons worked through multiple procedures to save his arm. He spent eight days hospitalized before being discharged on June 26 — the same day the St. Peter Police Department organized a community procession along Highway 169 and Minnesota Avenue to welcome him home.
The moment carried particular weight given who Buss is beyond his badge. He founded The Brothers In Law, a nonprofit dedicated to building trust between law enforcement and the public and supporting first responders through trauma and recovery. That an officer so committed to healing should face such violence — and survive it — lent his homecoming the texture of something more than relief. The road ahead still holds ongoing recovery, but the surgeries, his department confirmed, had succeeded in saving his arm.
On the evening of June 18, St. Peter police responded to a report of a vehicle fleeing Mankato. Officers located the car on Bunker Lane in St. Peter and watched as the driver, Jordan Donahue, abandoned the vehicle and ran into a nearby residence. What followed was a confrontation that would leave one officer wounded and the suspect dead, now documented in body camera footage the city has made public.
When officers arrived at the home, a woman answered the door with her hands raised while a dog bolted past her into the house. She told police that Donahue was upstairs. Sergeant Struckman and Officer Austin Buss entered to search for him. As they climbed the stairs, they called out commands: "Show me your hands! Get down here right now!" The body camera footage captures what happened next—the sharp report of gunfire, blood spattering across the stairwell, and the immediate chaos of an officer struck.
Donahue had fired a shotgun from above. The blast caught Buss in the arm and struck his ballistic vest. Both Struckman and Buss returned fire before leaving the residence so Buss could receive emergency medical attention. Officers then attempted to make contact with Donahue for an extended period, but he did not respond. When they finally located him inside the home, he was dead from gunshot wounds.
Buss was transported by ambulance to a local hospital, then airlifted to a Twin Cities medical center. The injuries were serious enough to require multiple surgeries to preserve his arm. He spent eight days in the hospital before being released on June 26. The St. Peter Police Department organized a procession that day to bring him home, with community members lining Highway 169 and Minnesota Avenue to welcome him back.
Buss is the founder of The Brothers In Law, a nonprofit organization focused on strengthening relationships between law enforcement and the public, and providing support to first responders dealing with trauma and recovery. The organization noted on social media that his surgeries had been successful in saving his arm, though the road ahead would involve ongoing healing. The body camera footage—showing multiple angles of the encounter—has now been released to the public as part of the official record of what occurred that night.
Notable Quotes
Officers called out commands as they climbed the stairs: 'Show me your hands! Get down here right now!'— Body camera footage
The Brothers In Law organization noted that Buss's surgeries were successful in saving his arm— The Brothers In Law Facebook post
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