Star Tribune
Sheriff’s deputy shot and killed in western Wisconsin
A western Wisconsin sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed Saturday night, the third such on-duty shooting death of a law enforcement officer in the region in a month, officials said.
The St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office identified the slain deputy as Kaitie Leising, 29, who had been with the department since 2022. The suspect also is dead.
“We will miss her infectious smile and personality,” Sheriff Scott Knudson said in a statement. “She will be missed by all she touched.”
Leising was shot just outside Glenwood City, Wis., 60 miles east of the Twin Cities, at about 6:15 p.m., according to a release from the Wisconsin Department of Justice. She was responding to a report of a possible drunken driver, who was stuck in a ditch. Shots were exchanged shortly after she arrived, officials said.
The deputy was taken to a nearby hospital and died there, according to state officials.
“The [suspect] fled and was later found deceased in a wooded area with a gunshot wound. There is no threat to the community,” a Department of Justice news release said.
Wisconsin officials identified the suspect as Jeremiah D. Johnson, 34. He was evasive toward Leising’s requests for a field sobriety test, and after about eight minutes he turned toward Leising, drew a handgun and shot her, the agency said. Leising fired back three times, but Johnson got away, the state Justice Department said. Officers recovered a handgun near Johnson’s body, the state Justice Department said.
Body camera footage captured the deputy’s shooting, the agency said.
On Sunday afternoon, Leising’s body was escorted by a law enforcement procession from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office to a funeral home in Baldwin, Wis.
Emergency vehicles with lights flashing lined the overpasses on Interstate 94 in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and a massive American flag billowed atop the Baldwin exit.
Knudson said that funeral arrangements were pending, and that deputies and officers will stand vigil by Leising’s side until the services are complete.
At a home overlooking the shooting scene, Colonel Lightfoot said Sunday that he saw four vehicles at Wisconsin Hwy. 128 and County Road G — one of them a pickup truck driven by the alleged assailant. Two vehicles left, and two people in a second pickup truck were trying to pull the suspect from the ditch when the deputy arrived, he said.
“All of a sudden there were five shots fired, and a person took off running to the south-southwest of my property,” Lightfoot said. “And then I immediately called dispatch and let them know that an officer was down because I couldn’t see her.”
Lightfoot’s wife, Sarah, ran to the scene with towels to help stop the deputy’s bleeding.
“My wife felt for a pulse, but what I think she was feeling was her own pulse,” he said, adding the deputy was unresponsive.
Officers swarm scene
Lightfoot said dozens of squad cars and other vehicles swarmed the scene, and the investigation lasted into the night.
Glenwood City’s mayor confirmed the large law enforcement presence.
“Numerous agencies responded … to secure the safety of our community and residents as quickly as possible,” Robert Unruh said in a statement.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the fallen officer, the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office and all law enforcement,” Unruh wrote. “Our community was abruptly disturbed and exposed to an incident that greatly affected everyone in many ways and will continue to do so.”
On Sunday, blue ribbons hung from signs in a largely quiet downtown.
The Wisconsin Justice Department said the incident is being investigated by the Division of Criminal Investigation, with the help of neighboring law enforcement agencies, including the Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Lab and a DCI crime response specialist.
Agencies show support
The Sheriff’s Office and the deputy’s family received an outpouring of support.
Just before noon Sunday, nearly 200 prayers and condolences filled the St. Croix County Sheriff’s Facebook page, which features a black band on a sheriff’s badge.
Minneapolis police joined officers from Minnesota and Wisconsin overnight for a procession that escorted the deputy’s body to the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office in St. Paul.
“Our deepest condolences to the family. The sacrifice will never be forgotten,” the Minneapolis Police Department posted on its own Facebook page.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with our St. Croix County Sheriff’s Office family dealing with the death of one of their deputies,” posted the Barron County, Wis., Sheriff’s Office on its own Facebook page.
Most recent deaths
In early April, two police officers were shot and killed in Barron County during a traffic stop in Cameron. Killed were officers Emily Breidenbach, 32, of the Chetek Police Department, and Hunter Scheel, 23, of the Cameron Police Department.
A western Minnesota sheriff’s deputy was shot and killed and two other law enforcement officers were injured while responding to a domestic dispute call April 15. Pope County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Owen died on his 44th birthday. The suspected shooter died when officers returned fire.
Betty Danger’s, the quirky northeast Minneapolis bar known for its Ferris wheel and miniature golf, has been sold for $3.5 million.
The property, located at 2501 Marshall St. NE and 2519 Marshall St. NE, was purchased on Nov. 15, according to the certificate of real estate value filed with the state. The primary buyer of the site is entrepreneur Joe Radaich, according to Taylor VerMeer, a spokeswoman for an undisclosed project planned for the site.
“While I can confirm that Joe Radaich is the primary buyer listed on this project, we are not able to share anything more at this time,” VerMeer said in an email.
Radaich has operated bars in the past, including Sporty’s Pub and Grill, which later became Como Tap. Radaich no longer operates Como Tap, an employee said on Tuesday. Radaich did not return requests for comment. Attempts to reach Leslie Bock, the Betty Danger’s previous owner, were unsuccessful.
The property’s mortgage payments are set at $18,886 per month with a 6.15% interest rate, the state filings show.
A Minneapolis nonprofit that served food to low-income kids has agreed to dissolve itself after a state investigation found it violated laws regarding its operations and financial transactions.
The move was announced Tuesday by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, whose office began investigating Gar Gaar Family Services, also known as the Youth Leadership Academy, after it was denied from participating in a federally funded program to provide food to students after school.
The investigation then found additional issues, including:
An attorney who has represented Gar Gaar, Barbara Berens, could not be reached Tuesday afternoon. Neither Ali or Morioka have been charged in criminal court.
The settlement by the state and Gar Gaar requires it to begin the dissolution process within 60 days of a court’s approval. The nonprofit then must transfer its assets to other charitable organizations with a similar mission.
Gar Gaar, which means “help” in Somali, launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help students in need, especially those in the Somali community. The group served meals outside of the school year as part of the Summer Food Service Program, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture but managed by the Minnesota Department of Education.
Gar Gaar received $21 million in reimbursements for serving 7 million meals — the top provider of summer meals in Minnesota in 2021.
What would have been a wild story was quickly put to rest Tuesday when Bloomington police issued a statement clarifying that no, it was not in possession of a recorded O.J. Simpson murder confession.
TMZ reported Tuesday afternoon that Bloomington police may have unwittingly come into possession of such a recording after arresting a former bodyguard of Simpson’s more than two years ago.
But about two hours after that report published, the suburban police department sent out a release that said the belongings seized during the arrest of Iroc Avelli had been inspected and officers “did not locate any information of evidentiary value for the Los Angeles Police Department.”
Here’s what police said happened:
Bloomington police arrested Avelli under suspicion of assault on March 3, 2022. Several items were taken by police in the process, including a backpack which contained multiple thumb drives, according to a statement.
They said Avelli and his attorney said one of the thumb drives in the backpack contained a recording of Simpson confessing to the infamous 1994 murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and Ron Goldman, according to Bloomington police.
A search warrant was granted to inspect the thumb drives. A copy was obtained by TMZ, dated June 26, and the document only said the results from the search were “pending.”
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