FIVE DEAD-MINNESOTA

Police: 5 dead in Duluth home after report of mental crisis

DULUTH, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say five people were found dead inside a Duluth, Minnesota, home after police received a report of a male experiencing a mental health crisis. The dead included the male reported to be in crisis, and authorities said they aren't seeking any suspects in the case. Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken says police got an initial request to check on someone in nearby Hermantown, which led them to the Duluth home where authorities found the bodies. Tusken called it an “unimaginable tragedy.” He said a dog was also found deceased. Police are investigating. It is believed that all of the deceased were related, but the nature of the relationship was not released.

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.

BOY SHOT

Authorities identify 10-year-old shot in Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities have an identified a 10-year-old boy who was fatally shot in downtown Minneapolis. KSTP-TV reported Monday that the Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Amare Rasaun Mayberry-Campbell of Andover was shot Friday evening in an apartment building. Police responded to the scene around 11:30 p.m. and found Mayberry-Campbell shot. He was alone with juvenile family member. First responders tried to help the boy but he was pronounced dead at a hospital. The shooting remains under investigation.

POLYMET MINE

Minnesota Supreme Court to hear challenge in PolyMet case

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Supreme Court has agreed to hear a challenge by environmentalists over portions of a lower court ruling involving a key permit for the proposed PolyMet copper-nickel mine. The Minnesota Court of Appeals in January reversed a 2018 decision by state regulators to issue PolyMet Mining Corp. a water quality permit for the project. It sent the case back to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for further proceedings. That was a win for environmentalists, but they’re challenging other parts of the ruling. The Supreme Court’s order Tuesday is just the latest step in a long legal battle over the project.

News from © The Associated Press, 2022