Iraq War Vet Shot, Killed By St. Louis Park Officer

An Iraq war veteran was shot and killed by a St. Louis Park police officer during a traffic stop Tuesday and his mother wants to know why.

Jason Martin survived war but died on Salem Avenue in St. Louis Park.

"He's a good son a good husband and a good father. He will be severely missed." said Martin's mother, Dawn Marth. "No one is giving me any answers. I don't know what happened."

Neither St. Louis Park police nor the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office, which is investigating the incident, will say exactly what led up to the shooting.

According to authorities, officer John Herman was leaving work around 2:20 a.m. Tuesday in his personal vehicle. He spotted a truck driving erratically on Minnetonka Boulevard.

The truck belonged to Martin. He and another man were inside.

The truck stopped and, according to police, Herman got into a fight with at least one of the men.

Herman fired a shot and Martin was killed.

Marth said, "He's got a 6-year-old daughter that is still coming home from school to find out she doesn't have a daddy to come home to."

Marth said she wonders why the officer went for his gun instead of using a Taser or some other method of diffusing the situation.

She claimed Martin never carried a weapon.

Police aren't saying whether he was armed during the incident.

They're also not saying whether Herman was wearing a uniform or had police lights in his car. They say that is part of the investigation.

The St. Louis Park Police Department did schedule a news conference for Tuesday afternoon, but then canceled it.

Herman is on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.

The second man in the vehicle with Martin was arrested.