Man shot by deputy faces four felonies

A Tower man was wearing a bulletproof vest, armed with a handgun and carrying a bag of methamphetamine when he was shot by a St. Louis County Sheriff's Office deputy following a vehicle pursuit last week on the Iron Range, according to charges filed Tuesday.

Aaron Lee Boshey, 27, faces four felony charges in connection with the incident that started in Virginia and ended in the woods about six miles west of Eveleth after a 17-minute pursuit.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported that Boshey was shot during the incident by Deputy Tim Officer, a 19-year veteran of the sheriff's office. Boshey walked from the woods under his own power and was hospitalized before being booked into the St. Louis County Jail on Sunday.

According to the criminal complaint:

Officer Christopher Rengsdorf of the Virginia Police Department spotted Boshey, who had multiple felony warrants out for his arrest, just after midnight on Nov. 22 at the Lucky Seven gas station at Ninth Street North and Hoover Road.

Backup arrived on scene and Rengsdorf exited his squad and approached Boshey, who was pumping gas. Boshey quickly got into his vehicle and ignored Rengsdorf's commands to stop, throwing the car in reverse and nearly striking another squad car.

Boshey then accelerated away from the gas station and the officers initiated a pursuit with emergency lights and sirens activated.

The pursuit continued west on Ninth Street, through Mountain Iron and eventually concluded near the intersection of County Highway 101 and Admiral Road, where Boshey fled on foot.

The defendant ran into a heavily wooded area, with officers from several agencies in pursuit. At some point during the incident, Officer discharged his firearm, striking Boshey. He then walked from the woods and was taken into custody.

A firearm was later recovered from the snow, as were a knife, bulletproof vest, clothing and cash belonging to Boshey. A small plastic bag containing eight grams of a substance later identified as methamphetamine was also recovered.

Boshey was initially taken to Essentia Health-Virginia and later airlifted to Essentia Health-St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth. Authorities did not specify the nature of his injuries or how many times he was struck.

Officer was placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard in officer-involved shooting incidents. The BCA is investigating the shooting and will turn its findings over to the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office for review.

Boshey faces charges of being a felon in possession of a firearm, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle, committing a crime while wearing a bullet-resistant vest and third-degree possession of a narcotic drug.

Sixth Judicial District Judge Gary Pagliaccetti set Boshey's bail at $25,000 during his arraignment Tuesday in State District Court in Virginia.

Boshey has another pending firearm charge from August, with bail in that case set at $10,000. He has a lengthy court record in Minnesota, with previous convictions for fleeing a police officer, felony drug possession and theft.

Boshey is due back in court on Monday.