Widow of slain sheriff told Walz he was not welcome at the deputy's funeral, saying she'd 'kick his ass' out of there
by: Pat Droney
Law Enforcement Today
Oct 28, 2024
Josh Palmateer, who is Deputy Owen’s cousin, read the statement of Shannon Owen
POPE COUNTY, MN - Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who is the Democrat vice-presidential candidate, was warned in 2023 by the widow of a murdered sheriff’s deputy not to attend his funeral due to his treatment of police officers, the New York Post reports.
Shannon Owen, the widow of Josh, a Pope County sheriff’s deputy who was tragically shot and killed in the line of duty on his 44th birthday in April 2023, made it clear that she would not tolerate Governor Walz’s presence at the funeral, threatening to remove him if he dared to show up, threatening to kick “his ass” out.
“You have never been a supporter of the police, and I’d just appreciate it if you don’t come anywhere near my town,” she told Walz.
“And he’s like, ‘Why is that?’ And I said, ‘Because you defunded the police. You don’t even support the police, why would I want you to come?’” Shannon said, noting that her late husband “did not like him at all.”
Shannon further warned Walz that if he did show up, she would “make sure that I escort your ass out of here.”
Walz was evidently flustered by her comments and told her that he would honor the request out of “respect” for her rights. Before the call ended, he added that his “officers are here to support you in any way you need.” Walz honored her request and did not show up for the funeral.
Shannon Owen said she doesn’t believe Walz is fit to be the next vice president, noting that he’s putting on a “nice guy” personal to gaslight voters.
“I don’t like the way he is with the cops’ situation, the military situation. I just feel he is a puppet right now. He is not actually speaking about what he really wants to do,” she told The Telegraph, a British paper.
Josh Owens served in the Minnesota National Guard in ironically the same unit Walz quit in 2005 and served a two-year tour in Iraq in 2006. He was killed when he responded to a domestic violence call on April 15, 2023. The suspect shot him four times as Owens tried to place him under arrest.
Shannon said her husband had planned on quitting the sheriff’s office right before he was killed and recalled how she “just screamed” when she was notified of his death.
Deputy Owens had been upset with the restrictive law enforcement reforms signed into place by Walz after George Floyd’s overdose death in 2020, an incident that set off a summer of violent protests, including an incident in Minneapolis where a police precinct was burned down.
Despite several attempts by Walz to offer his condolences, Shannon remained resolute, refusing to take his calls. She knew her late husband's stance on the reforms and was determined not to accept any sympathy from the governor.
She eventually took one of his calls on speakerphone, which a family member recorded, she told The Telegraph.
“I took the phone call. I didn’t say much. I just let him ramble because that is what politicians do,” she told The Telegraph.
“I said, ‘Are you planning on coming to the funeral?’ and he said, ‘Of course, I’d be honored to come,’ and I said, ‘Well, you’re not welcome.’ And he’s like, ‘Why is that?’ And I said, ‘Because you defunded the police. You don’t even support the police, why would I want you to come?’
“And Josh did not like him at all. And that would have been his wishes to not have any corrupt politicians there.
“He [Walz] was a little bit blindsided on that and didn’t know what to say. I just said, ‘And if you show up to my town, I know everybody in my hometown will escort you out because I don’t want you here.’”
The law Walz signed included restrictions such as banning chokeholds and mandating that police officers report and intervene when fellow officers use excessive force.
Walz also established an investigation unit under state jurisdiction and a database for police misconduct. In 2023, he signed a bill limiting so-called “no-knock” warrants.
Shannon believes that Walz acted in a knee-jerk fashion after Floyd’s death.
“After that, everything was against the cops, defunding the cops,” she said, although Walz has allegedly not been supportive of the move to defund the police.
After Josh Owens’ death, Walz’s office released a statement calling him a “hero.”
Republicans have slammed Walz as a left-wing radical who was too slow to act to the Minneapolis riots in 2020, while some far-left progressives have criticized him for not doing enough to address so-called police abuses.
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