Robert J. Hejsak

How they died

Deadly force

Officers shot Robert J. Hejsak during a three-hour standoff when Hejak allegedly shot at them. The standoff began at about 6 p.m., after Hejsak reportedly appeared at the home of a longtime friend with a shotgun, five handguns and numerous rounds of ammunition, and said he wanted to settle a long-standing disagreement. Sheriff Keith Nygren said Hejsak exchanged gunfire with police early in the standoff, then fired several times throughout the standoff. Police used a megaphone to try and talk Hejsak out from behind a dirt embankment near a barn on the property. Just after 9 p.m., Hejsak raised his hands and stepped into police floodlights. Police told him to drop a handgun he had in his waistband, but Hejsak allegedly fired toward 20 tactical team officers crouched behind cars about 55 yards away. The officers returned fire and Hejsak fell, but then got on one knee and fired more shots. The officers shot back, striking Hejsak again. Hejsak died the next morning at a hospital.

Why we remember them

This record exists so that Robert J. Hejsak, and all who are named in this archive, are never reduced to a number.

References & sources