Two members of the Minot Police Department have been determined to have acted appropriately in an officer-involved shooting in October.

Officers Tyler Burtch and Cullen Hall, who were placed on leave following the incident, have been reinstated to active duty, Capt. Dale Plessas said at a news conference Tuesday.

The officers had responded to a domestic incident Oct. 25 in southwest Minot. In response to information from the 911 call and a witness outside the home about an armed individual, they entered the home with duty weapons drawn. They saw the individual, 39-year-old Michael Bryant of Washburn, grab a woman and child and fall to the ground with them before raising a pistol toward the officers, according to an investigation report. Both officers fired, resulting in Bryant’s death.

The review conducted by McLean County State’s Attorney Ladd Erickson and Bureau of Criminal Investigation Special Agent Keely Absalonson indicated Bryant struggled with methamphetamine addiction and had previously overdosed on fentanyl, based on victim statements, criminal record and postmortem toxicology report. On Oct. 25, Bryant had come to the victim’s home with a gun, kicked in a door and threatened to kill her and a child in the home.

Erickson’s letter closing out the case cleared the two officers of any wrongdoing.

“The procedures Officers Burtch and Hall used in response to this domestic violence call for service were exceptional,” he wrote.

An administrative investigation also found no violations, Plessas said. Administrative findings were reviewed by a Use of Force Board, a five-member board of certified law enforcement officers from Minot, Ward County and a North Dakota Parole and Probation officer. The board also found no policy violations.

“I talked to both Officer Hall and Officer Burtch, and I can tell you neither of them wanted to be placed in the situation,” Plessas said. “I can also tell you that thank God they were there and acted in the manner that they did. We’ll never know for sure what Michael Bryant’s intent was but we know that these two officers rushed into a situation they knew was dangerous. They did this without a second thought of their own safety, and they did this to protect the lives of people they don’t know. So I’m very proud of them for that,” Plessas said.

He added Minot Police brought in a trained team to provide debriefing for the officers following the incident and has a robust peer support system within its department. Additional mental health services also are made available.

Plessas said the news conference was held to be as transparent as possible.

“We wanted to make sure that there’s public confidence in our process,” he said.

Burtch has been with the Minot Police Department for just over three years and Hall for just over two years, having previously worked for about one and half years for the Burlington Police Department.

Fatal officer-involved shootings are uncommon in North Dakota.