The stabbing attack at the Crossroads Center mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota, could have been much worse, if not for the actions of an off-duty police officer.
That officer — identified as Jason Falconer — fatally shot Dahir Adan on Saturday after Adan had already stabbed nine people and threatened other shoppers.
Here’s what we know about Falconer:
He’s a firearms training instructor
He owns a firing range and firearms training facility called Tactical Advantage. He’s considered an expert in firearms training and education and has helped teach classes on law enforcement skills at St. Cloud State University for nine years, his company website says.
He’s a member of the United States Practical Shooters Association and has won medals in various shooting competitions.
He was a former police chief
Falconer was the former police chief of Albany, Minnesota. Now, he works as a part-time officer with the Avon Police Department.
He was shopping at the time of the attack
Falconer was in the mall shopping, and happened to be in “right place at the right time,” St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis said. The attacker, Adan, confronted Falconer after Adan had already stabbed nine people. Falconer ID’d himself as an officer and when Adan lunged at him, he fired, Kleis said.
“Not only did he fire, the suspect went down, came back up on three different occasions,” Kleis said.
“He protected others from being injured and potentially loss of life. Clearly, a hero.”
He doesn’t want any of the spotlight
Don’t call Falconer a hero.
“I’ve been trying to stay away from it all, for the time being,” he told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Falconer told the paper he didn’t want to talk about the attack but said he wasn’t hurt. When a reporter showed up at his door, he didn’t answer. The voice mail box for his telephone listing was full, the newspaper said.
