Dr. Insanity - How Cops Captured The Minnesota Mass Shooter

Episode Date: July 15, 2025

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My sponsor BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/DrInsanity It’s midnight at the Shady Oaks Apartment Complex. A resident is walking back to his apartment when suddenly… He's shot by an unidentified man……. When police rush to the scene, they are immediately faced with a barrage of gunfire, near-zero visibility, and dozens of innocent lives at fatal risk… This video was made for educational purposes only. The video is presented to provide genuine footage of police incidents to promote transparency in government while providing educational, informative and newsworthy content allowing viewers to examine and assess public safety material. This is a fact-checked documentary using authoritative sources. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's midnight at the Shady Oaks apartment complex. A resident is walking back to his apartment when suddenly he's shot by an unidentified man. When police rushed to the scene, they're immediately faced with a barrage of gunfire targeting anyone who moves. And no idea who or how many shooters are active, all while dozens of innocent lives are at fatal risk. More shots are being fired right now. Just calm down. What kind of injury do you have? It's a gunshot.

Okay. Who shot you? I don't know. I'll get her. I'm going to get snipers put up on the east side. Yes. Get over here! Get over here! Get down on the ground now!

At approximately 2.17 a.m. on that Sunday night, officers receive reports of gunshots near Shady Oaks apartment complex. Minutes later, around 2.20 a.m., first responder officer Cody Needham approaches the scene to investigate. Little does he know, the gunshot reports were part of a trap set by the shooters, and he was driving straight into it. I think I've been shot. Moments after entering the parking lot, Officer Needham is struck by a bullet as multiple shots rang out and immediately radios nearby officers for backup.

I'm going to the hospital. Dispatch let ER know him. coming. There was a rapid succession of shots. Do you know where it came from? It's backed by Shady Oaks. There were more shots backed by Shady Oaks. Okay, we need to get a perimeter around this building. Multiple units nearby are now en route to Shady Oaks. However, the scale of police response will soon grow much larger, as officers realize the severity of the situation and the danger posed to the civilians. But for now, as backup units head towards the scene, officer need him speeds towards the hospital, still uncertain how severe his injuries are.

I think I've got a shot. I don't know what the... I'm going to this room and over here. While Needham receives urgent medical care, backup officer Christopher Deason and other units make their way towards Shady Oaks. Completely unaware, they're stepping into a deadly, eight-hour-long standoff. In rapidly chaotic incidents like these, officers have no choice but to make split-second tactical decisions. To fully understand how police manage such dangerous situations...

There is the cold habitual, and there is the frost of the mountain blue. The froy at its summit. Coors Light, t'n've seen a fraud, celebrate in a fashion responsible. You have to have the age legal for consuming the alcohol. We'll follow every tactic and decision through every stage of the standard. off, starting with Officer Deeson, who's just arrived on scene to a barrage of gunfire erupting unpredictably. We don't know what more they're on.

The shots were presumably coming up in front of the building. More shots being fired right now. What are you? You being shot at? You're being shot at? Just calm down, calm down. I only have a pencil. I didn't get hit.

Is that your car? Mine over there? Yeah. No. Officer Deason and other responding officers, quickly take position behind a water pump house, located near the parking lot on the west side of the complex. But there's a more immediate worry weighing on the officers. Many civilians remain unaware and exposed, and every gunshot could mean another innocent resident being targeted. With

dozens of innocent lives at stake, Officer Rismussen and Tim Harves arrive near Deeson's location on the west side, positioning themselves nearby to help scan the area and pinpoint where the gunfire is coming from. As far as we are required right now. 306, 2,400 start everybody. As soon as I got around the corner out here, he started shooting out. Me and a decent pull up here, it was, what, three, four shots? And when I picked up here before, we got shot at before.

So somebody's shooting out the window of the building. Chris, can you come over here? Can you come over here? They shouldn't get any law enforcement that comes through. If we go out any further, we're going to get shot it. If this is an active shooter, we need to get a team ready. We need to probably start dealing with it. At this stage, the situation facing officers is extremely dangerous.

The Shady Oaks apartment complex contains approximately 126 units, and with near-zero visibility and gunshots ringing out unpredictably, Police have no way of pinpointing exactly where the shooters are located, whether they're barricaded, mobile, or roaming freely, or even how many shooters are active. What's more alarming is that officers don't yet realize they're dealing with a carefully planned ambush, and the next few minutes will make that terrifyingly clear. Hey, we know you probably hit play to escape your business banking, not think about it. But what if we told you there was a way to skip over the pressures of banking?

By matching with a TD small business account manager, you can get the proactive business banking advice and support your business needs. Ready to press play? Get up to $2,700 when you open select small business banking products. Yep, that's $2,700 to turn up your business. Visit TD.com slash small business match to learn more. Conditions apply. We want to get eyes on the building. We need to get back over here, right?

Yeah, so we're going to have to, we're probably going to have to have. Where the fuck is this guy? He's close. He's outside, I bet. He's outside? Okay. He's running across! You see him?

You see him? Where? Where did he run at you? He ran that way. He ran in that direction. Run himself. I don't know if you got shot at or what. The phone just ran across the back line.

He's running. Towards the back lot. Didn't know. I don't know if it was him or someone that got shot at. Correct. They ran out here in that direction. Did you not? No, they're behind the trees here.

Other side of the tree. What? Do you think that's a high-powered rifle? Something high. Puff! Off! Just calm down. Do not bowling over.

You're shot at this house. It's coming from the front of the building and impacted the road on the little fourth. One of the shots officers just heard was aimed at a resident who stepped outside the building, completely unaware of the act of threat. He was... This episode is brought to you by Adidas. When the frustration grows and the doubts start to creep in, We all need someone who has our back.

To tell us we'll be okay, to remind us of our ability, to believe, because their belief in us transfers to self-belief and reminds us of all that we're capable of. We all need someone to make us believe. Hashtag, you got this. Struck and immediately ran away. With danger escalating and officers still unsure how many shooters they're dealing with, or even where the next shot might come from,

their immediate focus shifts to two critical priorities. First, identify and engage the source of the gunfire. Second, secure the perimeter and evacuate civilians inside and outside the building to prevent further casualties. However, officers still don't have a key to access the building from any side, adding a major complication to their plan. So, to move forward, Officer Deeson and Harves formulate a tactical plan. One group remains in position, carefully engaging and distracting the shooters to pinpoint their exact locations and number.

Meanwhile, a second group cautiously moved around the perimeter, evacuating civilians from areas exposed to gunfire. It's important to understand that incidents like these are not only traumatic for the officers working them, but they can often have the same effect on people simply watching these videos behind a screen, just like you. If you have ever felt that you need help with mental health, you should know there are always people you can reach out to. Before I started this channel, I struggled with anxiety every day. I'd record videos, then delete them because I thought they weren't good enough. Therapy changed that. It gave me the confidence to finally start uploading.

Finding the right therapist, though, was hard. I went through several before one clicked. That's why I've partnered with BetterHelp, the sponsor of today's video. BetterHelp makes it easy for you to find the right therapist for you. Fell out a questionnaire and you will match with a therapist in as little as a couple days. With their 30,000 licensed therapists, you can easily switch therapists anytime at no. No extra cost if it's not the right fit. A therapist will listen, ask questions, and help you see things from new perspectives.

They can give you advice and techniques to make positive changes in your life. With over 9,000 reviews and a 4.3 rating on Trust Pilot, BetterHelp is a platform you can trust. Click the link in the description or go to betterhelp.com slash Dr. Insanity and get 10% off your first month of therapy. With that said, let's get back to the scene. The evacuation team is about to spread out and begin sweeping the west side of the perimeter. With the shooter's identities still unknown, they have to treat everyone they encounter as a potential threat. Come here! Hey! Come here! Do you have a key fob to the building?

Okay. Are you okay? Yeah, I'm not back. We're shooting. You should have taken out of the sidewalk instead of... Oh, you know, those kids, I remember surprising and brought. Thanks to me... I heard it. I stand in my kitchen doing it.

Here, go back to your car. Now. So you think it's the second floor. The second floor on the far side. Okay. Go back to your car. Stay in there, okay? Officer Rasmussen manages to clear this first encounter with a resident safely.

But as he moves further into the parking lot, he spots someone he believes might be one of the shooters. Stop! Right now. Stop! Turn around. Drop to your knees. I got a guy that just walked out. He's in the parking lot. I got him at my gunpoint. here stay where you're at right now okay we got somebody shooting from your building right now okay okay take him go to him stop ma'am come here come here this police department come here there's somebody shooting from your building right now. Okay. Keep your hands out of your pockets, please.

Go to that red car over there. Okay. Go. The individuals turn out to be residents, completely unaware of the danger they've just narrowly avoided. But Resmussen's attention quickly shifts towards two more residents

exiting from the back of the building, one clearly injured and struggling. Keith, you got up in the building? This way, this way. Okay, come on, come on. Okay, right here. Now, I handed my phone off so I have no way back. Okay, well you're not going back in anyway, so you're fine.

Are you hurt it all, sir? Or just the one? Excuse me. Okay. I'm right here. That light pole right there. The light pole? Okay.

What kind of injury do you have? It's a gunshot. Okay. Who shot you? I don't know. I come out that door we just came out of was facing that away and this one we got shot. Okay. Come right over here, sir. Just hop right into the back seat on that side.

One of the civilians encountered by police is Shady Oaks resident, Daniel Thorpe. The same person officers spotted running away earlier after being targeted by gunfire. Daniel is now the second confirmed victim following Officer Cody Needham. Unfortunately, they won't be the only casualties as the night continues. Get over here! Get down on the ground now! By now, multiple SWAT teams have been requested to assist with the situation, but Daniel's close call underscores just how deadly the situation remains for the countless residents, both inside and outside the complex.

Many of them are still going about their night, not even realizing they're in any danger. Thankfully, Officer Rasmussen gained crucial intel from the woman he encountered outside the building. According to her, the shots appeared to originate from an apartment on the front side of the building, possibly on the second floor, but most importantly, she provides the officer with a key to access the building. With dozens of innocent lives still at risk, police urgently need to devise a plan to infiltrate the building and evacuate residents before the shooters have a chance to move positions, or worse, start targeting residents door to door. If the next steps aren't executed perfectly, the consequences could be catastrophic.

With this in mind, Officer Tim Harves repositions to a parking lot near Giant Wash Skyline Express just southeast of Shady Oaks to meet with command, await incoming SWAT teams, and strategize their next move. We haven't been able to get, they were thinking maybe like second floor, but now Chris is saying there's moving on 7th, but there's movement all over if you watch those windows. Nobody's identified where or who? Once I get more SWAT bodies in, I'm going to start forming up.

some perimeter teams to take over on perimeter. I'm going to get snipers put up on the east side. Yes, so they can kind of get eyes out. All the fat have been coming from the front of the door. By this stage, police have gained important but conflicting information about the shooters. Witnesses indicate activity on the second floor at the front of the building, yet Officer Deeson's group has reported suspicious movement higher up, possibly as high as the seventh floor.

With these conflicting reports, the situation remains risky. and unpredictable. So, to gain some control, multi-jurisdictional SWAT teams are now en route to help secure the building's perimeter, deploy snipers, and infiltrate the complex to evacuate civilians trapped inside.

In the meantime, Officer Christopher Deiason and his group continue to hold a critical position at the West End, actively scanning the building to pinpoint how many shooters they were dealing with and their locations. Josh fired. Josh fired.

Well, that was about 10 minutes. Yep. That did hit across the street on one or two. Correct. Correct. Some are moving towards this. That did hit across the street, right across the street from me. It sounds like a bird shop.

While Officer Deeson's team continues to hold their position on the west side, a critical oversight is exposed in the perimeter setup. Road closures intended to prevent civilian traffic from entering the active shooting zone weren't established quickly enough, allowing unaware drivers to slip through. This major flaw is about to lead to disastrous consequences. What? How to control the meeting.

How you go? Don't go out. There. Go, go, go! Go! Get out! No! Fuck. Fortunately, this first vehicle manages to pass without getting hit. But just minutes later, officers spot another set of headlights approaching,

heading directly into the line of fire. All right-backed, shortly and roll straight. Three. Chats fired, shot fired. Three shots. Half a shot fired. No. Okay.

Those three shots go. Correct. Maybe. They're not indirectly at us. Vehicle. Yep. Vehicle coming northbound on fourth. Officers quickly realized the rapid succession of shots was not directed at them,

but at a civilian vehicle. passing by the front of Shady Oaks. After being hit, the driver continues forward, eventually stopping on the west side, still within the active firing zone, but close to where officers are positioned. That's when they hear the driver's disturbing screams. Get over here!

We might have to be there, actually. Okay. She has been hit. been hit. I know, I know, come. Let's go. Mother fucker, I should have known. Do you have a tourniquet on you? Yeah. Okay. I think it's just through and through. It's on your leg. How my girlfriend?

We can't get up there right now. We cannot get up there right now. The injured driver was struck in the leg and is rapidly losing blood. Officers quickly apply a tourniquet to control the bleeding and stabilize him until he can be transported to the hospital. But before they can even catch their breath, another serious problem appears. Other residents and civilians

continue to pass close to the active firing zone, oblivious to the lethal danger surrounding them. That's when Officer Decent spots something alarming. Someone riding on a bicycle is suddenly seen riding straight through the active firing zone heading directly towards

officers. This guy is leaving on a flight right now. You can stop that guy on the bike Get your hazard Get over here Get over here Get down on the ground Get down on the ground now

I am What the fuck We got people shooting out of that building out of We don't know if it's you yet No no sir We don't know that yet We got him prone out right here We're checking him

I didn't hear no gunshot Are you kidding? You guys scared the fuck out of me How do you think we feel? Well I didn't know there was people shooting each other What's happening over there? Get them to crawl over here. What's happening over there?

Go over here. Okay, crawl, crawl. Crawl over here. Come up by the building here where you're safe. All right, put your hands down again. We just had somebody got shot out in the street from here. Got anything on you? No, sir.

Can you take the bag off me, please, so you can look at, you can search me if you take the bags off. This bag just has a hammer and some tools. Okay, it's not him, obviously. Stay down. Okay, it's obviously not him. Okay, why don't you come up here, sir? Come up by the building where you're safe. Okay, now you hear what we're dealing with?

Thankfully, officers quickly determined the biker was not a threat, managing to pull him to safety before he was harmed. Immediately afterwards, police units quickly finished establishing roadblocks around the complex, finally preventing further civilians from entering the danger zone. With no targets in sight, the shooting abruptly stops. This brief pause gives officers an opportunity to reassess their positions as they wait for SWAT support, unaware of the violent escalation, just hours away. Do you think it's gone quiet because he just hasn't had anything to shoot at?

Yeah, possibly. Keep them at a staging point, Keith. We have an armored vehicle unseen here. We'll be sending over, I believe. At approximately 4 a.m., SWAT armored vehicles finally arrive on the opposite side of the building, marking a critical turning point in the operation. For the first time, officers have the tactical support they need to close in and bring the shooters into custody.

Yeah, we've got four individuals here now. We've got to get them out of here. Do you want to jump in with him? Yeah. All right, we're coming. Thanks for coming. Yeah. I know our team's setting up too, so we'll be over here soon.

Not what we expected. Oh, shit. With SWAT teams now on scene, a sniper unit quickly moves into position on the east side of the Shady Oaks complex giving officers critical visibility. At the same time, entry teams on the west side prepare for their next move. It's finally time to move inside the building. Here, we'll cover you, get up there, go one at a time, okay? And I'm gonna move, right?

Yep. I'm moving. 306, we were by the dumpster where you were. What's your 20? It's gonna keep doing it. After After carefully evacuating ground floor residents over the next two hours, SWAT teams successfully secure the lower levels, ensuring the shooters have no path to escape. As the sun rises over Shady Oaks, police gain a critical advantage.

Daylight. With improved visibility, they deploy drones overhead, giving officers a clear, real-time view of the complex. As the drone hovers above Shady Oaks, officers notice movement on the third floor. Someone barricaded near a window in apartment 303. Snipers position across the street quickly adjust their aim towards the apartment, while officers remain on high alert, knowing other circumstances. could be hidden throughout the building. Over the next hour, tensions escalate as the barricaded shooter fires and destroys a police drone monitoring his position.

At around 8 a.m., negotiation teams attempt to make contact, urging the shooter to surrender peacefully. But despite repeated attempts, he refuses to respond. By 10 a.m., after over 8 hours of standoff and with peaceful options exhausted, an armored swine, vehicle pulls up directly into the shooter's line of sight, preparing to launch enough tear gas canisters to saturate the entire apartment. Moments after the gas enters the apartment, the barricaded suspect moves to the window. For the first time, officers see his face. It's a young man, barely out of his teens, armed and ready to fire back.

Following the shooter's reaction, a single, carefully aimed sniper shot shatters the apartment window, sending shards of glass directly into the shooter's forehead. Moments later, he appears from the window, holding a towel to his face, clearly weakened and disoriented. A SWAT team immediately rushes to Apartment 303

to apprehend the shooter. Inside, they find him wounded, but cooperative, quickly placing him into custody and escorting him out of the building. Parking 304 is also priority. Double-checked for 45 minutes in the freezing pants. Good as you're good. Get some change in the left pocket.

Big ass baggy fans. Check down by his feet. Nothing on his feet. I do not have any 38. Everybody, just right here, legs report? I have nothing. I've seen my hands pulled up at least a little. Yep.

Ow! My arm. The shooter is soon identified as Devin Matthew Wayland. Inside his apartment, officers recover multiple firearms, including the rifle used throughout the standoff. Officers continue to search the complex, and after a thorough sweep, they find no other threats, confirming Devin was the only shooter. As he is transported to the hospital for medical treatment, detectives begin rehashing details of the shooting. That's when they make a troubling discovery. The initial 911 call reporting fireworks had been placed by Devin himself.

Investigators quickly realized the call was a deliberate attempt to lure responding officers directly into his line of fire. Given the calculated nature of the ambush, they suspect that Devin may not have acted alone, that he could be linked to a larger threat, perhaps. associated with an extremist group or a broader violent plan. With this in mind, detectives bring Devin straight into an interrogation room as soon as he is medically cleared, urgently seeking answers about his true motives and whether any additional attacks were placed.

Hey, Devin. Hello. How are you? I've been better. Yeah, it looks like it. You know, okay, though? Is that okay we visit? Yeah.

Okay. Now, let's back up to the day before of the incident and just talk to us about your day and kind of what's going on. Everything seemed all right. Everything seemed fine. Okay. These ex-friends of mine, they wanted to hang out with me, and it was going to be his girlfriend's birthday, the 21st birthday,

so they wanted to party and drink. Well, I do, like, political discussion. I like to see people's use and ask them why they think of that, so I can respect them deeper and do the other. Like political stuff? Yep, okay. But it just turns out that they're ex-tweakers, and I think one guy was tweaking there,

this guy's name was Seth, something. and they're all like trying to, they're saying I'm getting in their face and screaming at them. I'm partially deaf from working in machinery. I said, I'm sorry, I'll get out of my hands and knees, I'll show you on my being violent. And this woman was saying, get on my man's face. And I'm like, I'm not in your man's face. I'm just saying, this is how I view about the situation, because how can I respect you? You've been nothing but nice to me.

So she has until this point on. And Judd said, get out of his face. I said, not your face. He pushed me. He was trying to fight me, so I fought him. And Jordan got on me, and he tried fighting me, and he claimed you was trying to make sure there would be no fight to happen. but that was the last straw. And for some reason, I felt like because no one would believe my sense of story,

I had my firearms out and ready to use, just in case anything did happen, which I didn't want it to, but I had an accidental discharge with my Mosanagan rifle, and had one bullet for it. What kind of rifle was it? Mozanagan. Okay. It was a mental slip-up.

I haven't been employed in a year. And my grandfather died three years ago. I just wanted it, and I didn't want to ever shoot a cop. That's why I surrendered. Were you aiming at anything throughout the seven-five rounds? Just the cars, trying to get the cops to come so they'd shoot me. I didn't want to shoot the cops, we didn't want to shoot anybody else, so that they would shoot me, so that they would shoot me.

And is that from the alcohol or really? I couldn't myself. It's against my own views. I would have to have somebody else to me theoretically. So that's where that idea, I know it sounds really fucked up. I wanted to live. I tried telling myself this and that, but under last night situation or an ordeal, I just got too much to me, too fast.

Do you remember what exactly you told the dispatcher when you called him? It sounds like there was a gun shot or fireworks or some type of discharge, like some type of fire shot. So if you said the word fireworks, would you mean fireworks from a gun or actually fireworks? I don't know. Did I say fireworks? Or are you going to answer? I don't know if I did. I don't know if I did. Perhaps the most striking thing about Devin's confession is his description of feeling trapped between a desperate, wish to die and an inability to harm himself. A psychological state commonly known as

by cop, where someone intentionally provokes law enforcement into using deadly force to end their own life. Following the interrogation, detectives determined that Devin Wayland acted alone, ruling out connections to any larger extremist groups. Devin admitted to intentionally provoking police to respond with deadly force, driven by anger and humiliation after an earlier confrontation at a party. Thankfully, the three victims wounded in the shooting, including Officer Cody Needham, would ultimately recover from their physical injuries.

When Devin's case reached trial, Minnesota's Court of Appeals rejected the argument that his actions were solely driven by societal intent. Although Devin claimed that provoking police into shooting him was his primary goal, the court found his broader actions of repeatedly, firing at officers and civilians to clearly indicate a deliberate intention to kill or seriously injure others. Devin's defense team argued that severe mental health issues were primarily responsible for his violent rampage, but the jury was unconvinced, finding Devin guilty of three counts of first-degree attempted murder and three counts of second-degree assault. He was sentenced

to 50 years in prison.