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Man fatally shot by Fargo police after brandishing rifle
Chief Dave Zibolski said his officers were engaged in dialogue with a suicidal man when he came out of a home holding a gun. Multiple officers fired their weapons.
FARGO, N.D. — The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NDBCI) is conducting an outside probe of an officer-involved shooting that claimed a man’s life in Fargo Wednesday.
Fargo police said in a news release that officers responded to a call for assistance involving a suicidal man on the 6100 block of 61st Ave. S just before 11 a.m. Police learned that the man was inside a home and armed. Emergency medical teams were staged nearby as officers engaged in dialogue with the man in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
After a period of time, according to police, the man emerged from the home holding a handgun, and multiple officers fired their weapons. The man was declared dead on the scene.
“We understand that incidents like these are deeply concerning to our community,” said Fargo Police Chief Dave Zibolski in a released statement. “We are committed to a full and transparent investigation to determine the facts. We ask for the community’s patience as NDBCI works to gather and verify the details surrounding this incident.”
The NDBCI was called in to conduct what Fargo police call “a transparent and thorough investigation, as is standard protocol in officer-involved shootings. The offers involved have been placed on administrative leave until the investigation is complete.
It is likely the incident conjured up feelings of unease for officers, as just last summer Fargo police lost one of their own in a high-profile shootout with a suspect. Minnesota native Jake Wallin was fatally shot and two other Fargo police officers were wounded on July 14, 2023, after 37-year-old Mohamad Barakat opened fire on them following a routine traffic accident.
Barakat was eventually shot and killed by veteran officer Zach Robinson. After the attack, officers found 1,800 live rounds, three long rifles, four handguns, explosives, canisters with gasoline and a homemade hand grenade in Barakat’s car.
Investigators believe Barakat was intentionally targeting officers, but a motive for the shootout remains unclear.
MINNEAPOLIS — Riding the light rail or Metro Transit bus is going to be the same price all day next year.
Starting Jan. 1, fares on all non-express buses and the light rail will be $2 “all day, every day,” according to a Metro Transit news release. Youth, seniors, and Medicare recipients will be able to ride for $1.
The change comes as Metro Transit General Manager Lesley Kandaras says they want to support the belief that “cost should not be a barrier for those who want or need access to our services.”
“Making transit easier to use is key to growing ridership, and we believe simplifying fares will help do just that,” Kandaras said in the news release.
Ridership is up at Metro Transit, with officials saying that there has been an 8% increase through the end of September compared to the same time last year.
Metro Transit added in the news release that they are preparing its first systemwide upgrade of fare collection equipment, and will eventually let rides purchase fares by tapping their phones or cards.
The county now has until Dec. 5 to lower its inmate population, after the state placed the jail’s license on conditional status.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Department of Corrections granted an extension Thursday for Hennepin County to reduce its jail population in the Adult Detention Center, just hours after the state’s original deadline expired.
The extension will give Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt until Dec. 5 to lower the jail population to 600 inmates.
Citing a failure to conduct adequate well-being checks and staffing shortages, the state placed the jail’s license on conditional status on Oct. 31. According to county data, there were 723 people incarcerated at Hennepin County facilities as of Thursday, both in City Hall jail space and the Public Safety Facility across the street. That means the county still needs to relocate 123 inmates to comply with the state’s order. (An additional 155 people from Hennepin County have already been annexed to other facilities).
James Stuart, the executive director of the Minnesota Sheriff’s Association, criticized the state for setting an unrealistic deadline on Hennepin County.
“The Sheriff was making good faith efforts to move toward remedial fixes,” Stuart said in an interview. “We’re looking to relocate hundreds of incarcerated individuals into locations where there aren’t necessarily available beds, and on top of that, it creates challenges to get them to their court appearances, it takes them away from their defense attorneys, takes them away from their families as they get placed all over the state. It’s a very difficult situation.”
According to documents submitted to the state, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office already has agreements with five counties — Carver, Chisago, Scott, Washington and Wright — to help them house incarcerated people. Wright County has taken on the largest share so far, with 89 Hennepin County inmates currently staying there. Hennepin County is also in talks with 14 other counties to finalize agreements, although the sheriff’s office noted that this process “may take several weeks to accomplish.” Given that delay, plus medical screening requirements for relocated inmates, the sheriff’s office argued it needs more time to comply with the state’s request.
Hennepin County has also transferred some inmates internally, taking them from the jails to the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility in Plymouth, better known as the “workhouse.”
Earlier this week, Hennepin County Commissioner Kevin Anderson said he’s confident the county will be able to reach the state’s limit eventually, by utilizing both workhouse space and neighboring counties’ facilities.
“I really believe in the Sheriff’s ability to manage through this,” Anderson said. “We’re not in an easy situation but we’re going to work through it.”
The overcrowding issues are not unique to Hennepin County. Across the country, the combination of COVID-19, the opioid crisis, law enforcement staffing challenges, and other factors have placed an enormous strain on corrections systems.
Alicia Granse, a staff attorney with the ACLU of Minnesota, said long wait times for mental health facilities are also causing issues within jails.
“A hundred days of sitting in jail, maybe even longer, waiting to go get the treatment you need,” Granse said.
County data shows that inmates have remained in custody for a median of 33 days, or slightly longer than a month. The longest stay in custody is listed at 713 days — roughly two years.
“Hennepin County needs to take care of that,” Granse said, “immediately.”
The off-duty officer crashed into a vacant building at 3rd Street E and Maple Street on August 1, authorities said.
ST PAUL, Minn — A St. Paul Police officer is charged with driving while intoxicated after a crash this summer into a building that caught fire.
The crash happened around midnight on Aug. 1 at the corner of 3rd Street E and Maple Street, officials said. That’s in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood.
The driver, Bryan McKinnon, is a St. Paul Police Officer who was not on duty at the time. When responding officers arrived at the crash, Minnesota State Patrol was requested to take over the DWI investigation to avoid a conflict of interest, charging documents state.
When a trooper asked McKinnon what happened before the crash, charging documents allege McKinnon said he lost control of the vehicle. When asked if he had anything to drink before driving, he said he had two beers. The criminal complaint states McKinnon did not want to do a breathalyzer test, but a warrant was signed for a blood draw, which showed he had a blood alcohol limit of .178.
“This incident is deeply concerning and does not reflect or align with the values of our department or the expectations we have of each other or the people we serve,” said St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry in August. “We are cooperating with the Minnesota State Patrol’s investigation and are following our internal policies and procedures.”
According to the criminal complaint the Minneapolis City Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case on a conflicts basis.
