The St. Paul officer who shot a man in the arm while responding to a call of a physical and sexual assault in January will not be charged by county prosecutors.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office determined Friday that Joshua Needham, a St. Paul officer with 11 years of experience, was justified in shooting Brett Kohl Fraser during the assault call.

Needham was placed on administrative leave after the shooting, a standard practice for police shootings investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Fraser, who was hospitalized and later released, was arrested shortly after the incident but was not charged.

County Attorney John Choi agreed with prosecutors' decision through a memo released Friday, adding that his office expects public portions of the BCA's investigation will be publicized as soon as possible.

Needham shot Fraser on Jan. 6 while responding to reports of a physical and sexual assault on the 400 block of Thomas Avenue W. The caller warned that the assailant was armed with a handgun, and that a woman was screaming.

The St. Paul Police Department released body-worn camera footage of the shooting days later, showing Needham and officer Ryley Reschke outside the apartment with guns drawn. They knock and a woman opens the door, sobbing as she shuffles past.

Reschke pointed his gun into the apartment, ordering Fraser to come out and show his hands as Needham waited in the hallway. Both officers back up as Fraser runs out of the apartment and Reschke yells, "He's got something!"

Needham fired three rounds before Fraser fell to the ground and the video footage ends. One shot hit Fraser in the arm. After reviewing the footage, officer statements and other evidence, prosecutors said Needham was in reasonable danger when firing his weapon.

"Based on what they knew, Officers Needham and Reschke reasonably assessed a potentially dangerous situation as they arrived at the door to Apartment No. 1 and took prudent measures to minimize that danger," prosecutors' memorandum read.

Needham has worked as a St. Paul officer since 2019, and before that worked at the Orono Police Department, according to his LinkedIn page.

In 2013, Needham was one of four Orono officers who shot and killed an armed suspect who had just killed a doctor with a handgun.

A Hennepin County grand jury later cleared Needham and the three other officers of any wrongdoing in the death of 30-year-old Ted C. Hoffstrom.