Kare11
Charges: Man entered Minneapolis apartment and began shooting
After working to evacuate the building, officers allegedly made contact with Matz in a stairwell, where he was armed with a machine gun.
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis man has been charged after he allegedly entered an apartment building and opened fire with an AK-47.
Minneapolis police said the incident started on the night of Sept. 7 around 10:50. Multiple 911 callers reported a man walking around with a shotgun near the 4000 block of Minnehaha Avenue. Officers searched the area but didn’t find the armed man, according to a press release.
According to the charging documents, officers located 41-year-old Nathan Mellstrom Matz when they were called back to the building at 4 a.m.
After working to evacuate the building, officers allegedly made contact with Matz in a stairwell, where he was armed with an AK-47. The officer ordered Matz to drop the gun. After Matz continued to hold the firearm for one minute and 20 seconds, the officer shot him, then disarmed him, the charging documents said.
Matz was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive.
One of the residents in the apartment building told officers he stepped outside his apartment when he heard loud noises and saw Matz crouched down holding a long gun.
The resident returned to his unit before he heard a gunshot in the hallway, BCA agents later said a bullet hole was in “close proximity” to where the man had been standing, according to the charging documents.
A woman who lives nearby told officers she heard the gunshots and her home was struck by bullets.
Another resident of the building told officers he awoke to the sound of gunfire and felt like he was in a “life or death” situation, according to the charging documents.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Kare11
Police investigate patient death at Richfield care facility
In a search warrant application, Richfield police detail reports by first responders alleging a slow staff response and allegations of forged documents in the death.
RICHFIELD, Minn. — A Richfield care facility is under investigation after allegations by first responders that staff there did not check on a patient as she was dying and then forged paperwork to cover it up.
In an application for a search warrant, police requested access to medical records and surveillance video related to the treatment and death of 55-year-old Candace Columbus, a patient at The Villas in Richfield. Investigator Sammy Gonzalez details a report by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) based on accounts from a Hennepin County paramedic on Oct. 7, 2024, the day Columbus died at the facility located at 7727 Portland Ave. S.
That paramedic reported that they suspected that facility staff suspected the patient was dying but did not check on her or call 911. The first responder said that when first responders were finally called, staffers claimed that Columbus had a Do Not Resuscitate Order (DNR) but did not have a form on hand. Paramedics also reported seeing staff members filling out a DNR Form, which would constitute forgery.
Investigator Gonzalez says in the warrant application that body cam video from a Richfield police officer who responded to The Villas recorded the interaction between the reporting paramedic and care staff, including a phone conversation between one employee and someone claiming to be the facility manager, who appears to be giving the staff instructions on how to fill out the DNR form.
“Your affiant (Gonzalez) requests further information from The Villas at Richfield that will lead to further evidence of forgery and/or vulnerable adult abuse/neglect,” the application reads.
Richfield Police Lt. Brad Drayna told KARE 11 that the ongoing investigation prevents the department from providing anything beyond the information in the search warrant. An administrator for The Villas says a statement on the patient’s death and investigation will be released later Wednesday.
Kare11
Snowy Halloween forecast lets Minnesotans remember ’91 blizzard
MINNEAPOLIS — Christmas came early for Minnesotans watching the trick-or-treat forecast for Thursday, as the news about impending snow is practically begging for related discussions about the infamous Halloween Blizzard of ’91.
While parents lugged their small ghosts, goblins and ghouls from door to door — layers of warm clothes and heaps of snow be damned — they could already tell this particular storm would be one for the record books.
When all was said and done, more than 8 inches of snow fell in the course of only a few hours, leaving Minnesotans with much work when the sun came up the next morning.
So, will we have a ’24-style repeat of ’91? Only time will tell, but for now, we’re bringing back a few classics from the archives to get everyone in the mood for another snowy (and spooky!) celebration.
See our story, “Helping in the Halloween Blizzard” above, and more from the archives below.
Kare11
State Police provide update that a woman and two children had went over Niagara Falls Monday
New York State authorities confirm that a woman and two kids children went over a guard rail and into the falls Monday night. They have not been found.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The New York State Park Police and the New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation are investigating an incident on Goat Island in Niagara Falls.
According to a release on Tuesday by the New York State Police, officers responded to an incident that happened on or around Goat Island around 9 p.m. on Monday evening.
In an updated release on Wednesday the NYSP confirmed that a 33-year-old woman, a 9-year-old, and a 5-month-old crossed over the safety guard rail and went over Niagara Falls on Luna Island, which is attached to Goat Island.
The victims have been identified as Chaianti Means, 33, Roman Rossman, 9, and Mecca Means 5-months-old.
According to the NYSP release, “The investigation has determined that this incident was intentional in nature, though the circumstances remain under investigation. New York State Park Police and State Police search/rescue efforts were conducted with negative results. This incident deems no public threat to safety.”
NYSP Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Aviation, Underwater Recovery Unit, New York State Park Police and Niagara Falls Police Department are assisting in the investigation.
2 On Your Side will update this story when we receive new information from State Police.