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Suspect in U of M threats in custody
According to the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, a 41-year-old was apprehended safely and without incident in Watson, where he resides.
MINNEAPOLIS — A 41-year-old man is in custody after officials say he allegedly threatened to shoot people on the University of Minnesota’s Twin Cities campus.
According to the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, the man was apprehended safely and without incident in Watson, where he reportedly resides.
Extra officers were deployed on the U of M Twin Cities campus, and at least two school districts in western Minnesota were placed in lockdown after what police called a “specific threat” from a known individual.
“We are deeply grateful to the many law enforcement partners who contributed to today’s investigation and continue to work this case, starting with the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Office, which alerted us to this threat and is leading ongoing efforts to apprehend the suspect,” a spokesperson for the U of M said in a press release. “We also appreciate the support of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, State Patrol, Hennepin County Sheriff’s Department, Minneapolis PD and Metro Transit Police. As always, we also owe heartfelt thanks to our UMPD and Department of Public Safety personnel, who quickly shifted plans this morning to support the needed efforts to monitor and secure our campus.”
The university posted on X (formerly Twitter) Thursday morning that the 41-year-old man was threatening to shoot people on the Twin Cities campus. The University of Minnesota Police Department began working with the BCA and law enforcement in Chippewa County, the man’s home region, to locate him and investigate the threat.
Authorities say the suspect is from the community of Watson, just six miles from the city of Montevideo. Due to safety concerns and ongoing law enforcement activity in the area, both the Lac Qui Parle Valley and Dawson Boyd School Districts increased security measures at district buildings until the suspect was apprehended.
While university police have named the man accused of making the threat, KARE 11 does not publicly identify people until they have been officially charged with a crime. A background check does turn up an extensive criminal history for the man, ranging from drug possession and damage to property to burglary and fleeing police. He was committed in 2016 for mental illness and chemical addiction. Years prior, he also served as Watson’s mayor.
“At that time, he was doing a lot charity projects through his business and he spoke very candidly about his mental health and addiction struggles,” said Jessica Stolen, editor of the Montevideo American News, who interviewed the suspect last winter. “And he had made note that, you know, he was doing a lot of this stuff, he felt as reparations for the struggles he’s had previously and the interactions he’s had with law enforcement, and so I think it’s just really sad for all the people who were rooting for him.”
A Facebook account believed to belong to the suspect shows a torrent of rambling posts in recent hours, including a mention of making the 2.5 hour drive to the U of M “to start killing kids.”
While the search for the suspect went on, employees at the U of M were urged to work remotely, and residents were asked to stay away from campus. Shortly after 1 p.m. the university shared that the suspect had been located in western Minnesota, and operations on the Twin Cities campus were returning to normal.
Updates are available on the U of M website.
KARE 11 is following this story and will have the latest information as it becomes available.
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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.
