FIVE DEAD-MINNESOTA

Police in Minnesota say man killed 4 relatives, self

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Police in Minnesota say a man killed his aunt and uncle, two young cousins and their dog before killing himself at their home in Duluth. Police Chief Mike Tusken said at a news conference Thursday that 29-year-old Brandon Taylor Cole-Skogstad killed his relatives in their beds sometime Tuesday night, then shot himself as police knocked on the door around midday Wednesday. Before he died, Cole-Skogstad posted a message on Facebook saying that he had made “the absolutely horrid choice” to kill himself and his relatives. He also wrote that he had “suffered many years of mental illness” but rarely sought help “because I felt I never deserved it.”

FOOD FRAUD-MINNESOTA

Man targeted in meals fraud probe faces passport charge

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man who authorities say is a target in a sweeping investigation into alleged fraud in a student meals program has been arrested on a passport charge. Federal prosecutors say 49-year-old Mohamed Jama Ismail was charged with making a false statement when he applied for a new passport in March — after authorities seized his passport in January. Ismail was arrested Wednesday at the airport. His attorney, Patrick Cotter, says Ismail's motive was to go see his family, not flee the country. Ismail is one of the owners of Empire Cuisine & Market. Court documents unsealed in January say Ismail and his partners misappropriated more than $11 million that was intended for Feeding Our Future.

VETERANS AFFAIRS-MISMANAGEMENT

Sioux Falls VA Healthcare leader reassigned amid complaints

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The director of the Sioux Falls VA Healthcare System has been reassigned following a multitude of complaints about mismanagement. The VA’s Midwest region director Robert McDivitt says Lisa Simoneau will stay with the Veterans Affairs Department and serve at regional headquarters in the Twin Cities. According to a letter from U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough whistleblowers who contacted him said the Sioux Falls medical center had a hostile work environment where employees were mistreated and veteran care was not a priority. Simoneau did not respond to a message seeking comment Thursday.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE-MINNESOTA

Walz blasts Legislature over unemployment insurance dispute

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Tim Walz has sharply criticized the Minnesota Legislature for failing to break its impasse over an unemployment insurance tax increase that businesses are already starting to pay. The Democratic governor blamed both the Senate Republican and House Democratic majorities on Wednesday. He says it’s “absolutely ridiculous” that they didn’t reach a deal back in January, and the May 23rd adjournment is coming up. Walz says he’ll propose a path forward in his State of the State speech Sunday. Doug Loon of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce says other states have fixed the problem, and Minnesota needs to be competitive.

FATAL POLICE ENCOUNTER-CHISHOLM

Person fatally shot after encounter with police in Chisholm

CHISHOLM, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say a person was fatally shot early Wednesday during an encounter with law enforcement officers in northeastern Minnesota. The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office says the person who died in the Iron Range city of Chisholm was wanted for a recent felony committed in Morrison County. Authorities say that about 4:30 a.m., sheriff’s deputies, state troopers and officers from Hibbing, Chisholm and Virginia were actively searching for a “known suspect” and vehicle in the Morrison County felony case. Contact was made with the person about 7:30 a.m. and “an officer involved shooting occurred.” The shooting is being investigated by the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

FATAL SHOOTING-DUNN COUNTY

Woman charged in connection with ND shooting gets probation

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A Wisconsin woman arrested in connection with the death of a North Dakota man in 2021 has been sentenced to three years of probation and has agreed to testify at the trial of the defendant who’s facing a murder charge. Jessica Saueressig, of Cascade, pleaded guilty Tuesday to a felony charge of hindering law enforcement. Saueressig and Carlos Mendivil-Beltran, of Mesa, Arizona, were arrested following the July 25 death of Brian Rowe. Prosecutors say the three, whose relationship was unclear, were traveling in Dunn County when an altercation began between Mendivil-Beltran and the 43-year-old victim. A court affidavit alleges Mendivil-Beltran shot Rowe several times and pushed him out of the vehicle.

CLOSED DOOR SHOOTING

Duluth officer on trial for shooting unarmed man in 2020

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — A prosecutor in the St. Louis County trial of a Duluth police officer who shot an unarmed man through the closed door of his apartment told jurors the defendant repeatedly fired his weapon even as he heard the victim begging for his life. Prosecutor Aaron Welch told jurors Tuesday during opening statements that Officer Tyler Leibfried had time to think and made a choice to shoot again and again, injuring Jared Fyle on Sept. 12, 2020. But Leibfried’s attorney, Paul Engh, told the jury the officer was defending himself against what he believed to be the sound of gunshots. Leibfried is facing several felony charges, including second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

BIRD FLU-MINNESOTA

Minnesota's governor, senators praise state's bird flu fight

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota’s governor and U.S. senators have visited the heart of the state’s poultry country for a first-hand look at how the top turkey-producing state is fighting bird flu. Gov. Tim Walz and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith visited an emergency operations center Tuesday in Willmar where state and federal agencies are working to contain the outbreak. They say the state is better positioned now than during the devastating 2015 outbreak, which killed 9 million birds in the state. The current outbreak has cost Minnesota turkey and chicken producers nearly 2 million birds at 40 farms.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022