The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has identified the man who was shot and killed in an exchange of gunfire with Richfield Police last week as Desaver Brian Hollis, 27, of Plymouth.
Hollis had been attempting to break into cars in the 7500 block of Morgan Ave So in Richfield at 3 in the morning. When Richfield police arrived, Hollis fled on foot and then exchanged gunfire with officers. Hollis died at the scene. A Richfield police officer was struck in the hand during the exchance of fire and was hospitalized for more than a day. Read more about the incident here.
Hollis’s adult court records show seven (7) convictions from three (3) different counties (Dakota, Wright, and Scott) since he was 19 years old. His most recent conviction was just filed in Dakota County for gross misdemeanor theft on March 26th, 2026. Hollis was “sentenced” to serve just two days in jail but was given credit for the 2 days he had already served after his arrest. Other convictions include 1st degree burglary, threats of violence, and assault.
In addition, Hollis was committed as Mentally Ill by the Wright County District Court in 2023. The timing of the commitment appears closely related to a burglary charge and likely was related to a claim of being incompetent to stand trial – however, details of the commitment are not public.
The burglary, threats of violence, and the mental illness commitment all served as prohibitors for Hollis to have legally possessed a firearm. It’s unclear from information released at this point what type of firearm Hollis possessed, or how he came into possession of it.
Hollis’s death was completely of his own doing; however, it is also another example of Minnesota’s criminal justice system being seemingly incapable of separating people from society who have repeatedly proven their unwillingness to remain law abiding. That inability has consequences not only for society, but the person the system should have incapacitated.
The Minnesota BCA continues to investigate this incident. The findings will be turned over to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for a determination on whether the deadly force by the Richfield police was justified under Minnesota law.
