CROOKSTON, Minn. - A man who shot but did not wound a Polk County sheriff’s deputy near Crookston on Thursday afternoon is in custody, according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Deputies were talking with residents at a home on Perry Farms near U.S. Highway 75 about two miles south of Crookston in northwest Minnesota, about 1 p.m. Thursday, when the man began firing on the group from within the home, the bureau said in a press release.
Law enforcement officials could not be reached to explain why deputies were at the residence.
One of the deputies, whose name has not been released, was struck. He was wearing a bulletproof vest and was not injured, the press release states.
The release did not name the man who fired shots, but said he sustained non-life-threatening injuries. It is unclear how the man was injured and by whom.
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“Shots were exchanged, during which time the suspect was injured,” the release states.
The man was taken to the jail in Crookston after being treated for his injuries at the Riverview Hospital in Crookston. No one else is being sought in connection to the shooting.
Little could be seen from the intersection where law enforcement blocked the dirt driveway leading to the crime scene.
State Rep. Deb Kiel, R-Crookston, is a member of the Perry family that owns the farm and lives five miles from where the shooting occurred. Kiel said her parents and brother, Charles Perry, live in houses on the farm, but she hadn’t heard any details of the shooting aside from the fact that no one had been hurt.
Other shootings
Officer-involved shootings are uncommon in northwest Minnesota, but there have been two previous incidents in recent years.
In February 2009, Mahnomen County Deputy Christopher Dewey was severely injured after he was shot in the head and abdomen outside a home in Mahnomen. Deputy Dewey died about 18 months later.
A jury found Thomas Lee Fairbanks guilty of first-degree murder of a peace officer and numerous other charges, including failure to render aid to a shooting victim, being a felon in possession of a firearm and several counts of assault.
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Earlier this year, Norman County Deputy Nathan Warner was shot during a traffic stop near Perley, Minn.
Steven Henderson, who turned 20 on Tuesday, faces four counts related to the April stop, including first-degree attempted murder of a peace officer. Court papers state Henderson opened fire on Warner, who had placed the suspect’s brother under arrest on an outstanding warrant.
One bullet struck Warner, who was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, in the back. A second bullet struck the deputy’s portable radio. Warner, who returned fire but missed, was justified in shooting his firearm, a report determined.
Henderson’s next court hearing is set for next Wednesday.
