REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. (FOX 9) - An Edina man is facing several charges after police say a call about a possible suicide in Redwood Falls turned into an attempted ambush on police.
What we know
Christopher Mark Covert, 27, of Edina, is charged with attempted first-degree murder, two counts of assault and possession of ammo during the incident.
On Aug. 28, 2024, around 9:43 p.m., Redwood County Dispatch received a 911 call from a man reporting a suicide victim in Ramsey Park. The caller then hung up, and return calls from authorities went unanswered.
While trying to determine the call location, police located cellphone service that was mapped on the west side of the walking bridge near the Redwood Falls Hydroelectric Power Plant. Ramsey Park is a 256-acre park with multiple entrances, miles of hiking trails, and heavily wooded areas.
According to charges, police arrived at the park around 9:47 p.m., and upon searching, did not locate anyone on the east side of the bridge when they began to cross to the other side. While crossing, police were informed by dispatch that the cell phone was now located on the west side, but when they arrived no one was there either.
Additional officers entered the park from the North Grove Street entrance, where they located an unoccupied 2021 Mazda CX-5 registered to Covert. In the car, police could see camping supplies, water, a Bible and crucifix, Narcan and notebooks, charges state.
A K9 began tracking towards the location of the initial 911 call, and as they passed the Zeb Gray Shelter, police came across Covert running from them towards the power plant bridge.
According to charges, Covert was given commands to stop, but continued running toward them when officers noticed he dropped a black rifle case – in which police could see a rifle stock. Police were able to recover the gun at that time.
Covert then climbed over the railing of the bridge, before authorities were able to pull him back over and take him into custody, charges say.
Further investigation
Inside the bag was an AR-15 with multiple modifications, including an upgraded barrel and trigger, red dot optics, and a loaded magazine containing 30 rounds.
Upon further investigation, police found a second fully loaded magazine containing green tip ammunition that is typically for military use. In total, 10 fully loaded magazines with 300 rounds of ammunition were found, according to charges.
A closer look at the rifle by investigators determined that the rifle action had jammed while a round was likely being placed into the chamber due to "slow stroking" – a method used to load a rifle without making any noise.
Search warrant
On Aug. 29, 2024, a search warrant was granted to police that revealed Covert had previous military training.
A review of digital devices showed that he had searched "does God ever condone killing?" and "did Jesus die for the unforgiveable sin?" on the morning before he called police to the park. A log on his phone also revealed the initial calls made to police.
The previous week, on August 23, 2024, a text message sent said, "there’s a time to kill but always call on Christ first."
In notes on his phone dating back to Oct. 18, 2022, messages that state, "I’m for involuntary assisted suicide or murder" were found.
Additional notes from April 21, 2023, read, "the good days of being a murderer when forensic evidence did not exist," according to the charges.
According to police, several disturbing images were also found on devices.
The day before the alleged attempted shooting, on Aug. 27, Covert also withdrew money from his savings and checking accounts – a total of $78,000 – and gave a check to an unnamed witness at a farm site in Morton, Minnesota.