Kare11
Police: 3 people found dead, including shooter
Police have not named the victims but a GoFundMe identified one as a 22-year-old woman.
CLOQUET, Minn. — Investigators are trying to determine a motive after two people were fatally shot at a hotel in northern Minnesota Monday night, with the man suspected of killing them being discovered dead nearby.
During a press conference Tuesday, Cloquet Police Chief Derek Randall told reporters that squads were dispatched to the Super 8 hotel just after 6:30 p.m. after an employee called 911 and said a fellow employee had been attacked. Officers arrived within three minutes and found a 22-year-old clerk from Cloquet suffering from a gunshot wound. She was rushed to St. Luke’s Medical Center in Duluth but unfortunately did not survive.
A second victim, a 35-year-old man from Deer River, was soon located inside a car in the hotel parking lot, dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
Not knowing what had transpired, Randall said an active shooter alert was sent to residents in the community asking them to shelter in place. Hotel customers were evacuated from the building and held in a safe place until police determined things were safe.
A third person, a 32-year-old man from Ramsey, was eventually located outside on hotel property with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The chief said a handgun was lying next to him. After reviewing surveillance video from the hotel, investigators confirmed that the Ramsey man was the suspected shooter.
Chief Randall said video indicates the incident took 10 minutes to unfold before his officers arrived.
Randall told reporters that investigators have not yet determined a motive or established the connection between the victims and the shooter. The chief said forensic experts from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) were on the scene all night collecting evidence and processing multiple vehicles and electronic devices off-site to shine a light on potential relationships.
Although police have not named the victims, a GoFundMe was posted for 22-year-old Shellby Marie Trettel.
“Shellby Marie Trettel was just planning out her future, living life to the fullest, and most of all had a huge heart and cared deeply for all of those she knew,” the GoFundMe read.
The campaign is raising money for the family to pay for a funeral and other expenses.
Social media erupted on Monday night with posts on the incident, including one from Gov. Tim Walz.
“I am praying for those killed in another senseless act of gun violence tonight in Cloquet,” Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media. “To the law enforcement officers who responded, thank you. The state stands ready to provide continued support to local authorities.”
I am praying for those killed in another senseless act of gun violence tonight in Cloquet.
To the law enforcement officers who responded, thank you.
The state stands ready to provide continued support to local authorities.
— Governor Tim Walz (@GovTimWalz) January 9, 2024
Chief Randall said while he has worked homicides in the community, he could not recall a “shelter in place” order being issued in his 20 years on the force.
Cloquet is located just over 20 miles southwest of Duluth.
*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist:
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11’s newscasts. You’ll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
At least one of the sites was immediately cleared in response to the shootings.
MINNEAPOLIS — By Monday afternoon, there wasn’t a tent in site along the railroad tracks off of E 44th St between Hiawatha and Snelling Avenues. There was only some leftover crime tape.
Just 24 hours prior, two men were killed and a woman was critically hurt in a triple shooting there.
Sunday, a neighbor told KARE what started with one tent in August grew in recent weeks. Police Chief Brian O’Hara and Mayor Jacob Frey held a press conference that day.
“The Third Precinct, this part of the city, has the greatest concentration of homeless encampments so it remains a very serious public safety issue,” O’Hara said. “As soon as these encampments move in, we have a significant increase in crime in the general area and once we’re able to clear them, crime generally does go down.”
Monday, a City of Minneapolis spokesperson confirmed the encampment was “closed earlier today” and that “debris was cleared” from a smaller encampment where yet another triple shooting occurred early Saturday morning.
This one was near E 21st St and 15th Ave S. Three men were shot and one of them died.
Monday afternoon, there was a small fire going and a couple of adults seated outside. A memorial was also placed beside the fencing. The city says there weren’t any structures to remove from the location.
Frey’s office confirmed the immediate closure of the E 44th St encampment was a result of the shootings. However, there were prior discussions about closing it in the near future.
The Mayor’s Office sent KARE 11 the following statement Monday evening:
“The tragic and unacceptable loss of life at homeless encampments underscores the need for immediate action. Encampments are plagued by fentanyl abuse, drug trafficking, and gun violence, and they do not provide a dignified way to live—not for encampment residents and not for the neighbors in surrounding communities.”
“As new encampments form, we are committed to closing them while continuously offering shelter, addiction recovery resources, and support to our homeless residents.”
– Office of Mayor Jacob Frey
A city spokesperson also sent a statement saying the “Minneapolis Homeless Response Team is working right now with the Minneapolis Police Department, Hennepin County and other service providers to offer unsheltered individuals at both locations the necessary resources, services and shelter.”
“We want to help our residents find suitable arrangements in the most supportive and humane way we can. All of our Minneapolis residents deserve better,” the statement continued.
A police spokesperson confirmed no arrests have been made in either case.
The suspect was 17 at the time of the shooting, but he was charged as an adult.
A St. Paul man has pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, more than two years after a drive-by shooting left a 17-year-old dead.
Casimir Semlak, of St. Paul, was charged with shooting 17-year-old Anthony Skelley in May 2022 during an apparent drug deal in South St. Paul. Police say a search of Skelley’s cell phone uncovered that the last number he was in communication with was linked to the suspect.
Semlak was also 17 at the time but was charged in the adult court system.
Following his death, family members told KARE 11 in a statement that Skelley was a junior attending St. Paul Public Schools’ Gateway to College program, and had “a beautiful soul with a cheerful presence and a joyful spirit.”
Semlak will be sentenced in January 2025.
The Moorhead Police Department said Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants.
MOORHEAD, Minn. — Officials are asking for the public’s help locating a 17-year-old Moorhead girl that is believed to be endangered.
According to the Moorhead Police Department, Paige Reinke was last seen Sunday near the 2600 block of River Drive North wearing a blue sweatshirt and gray sweatpants. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) describes her as 5-foot-4, 155 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Moorhead Police Department at 701-451-7660.
