Willmar shooting victim ID’d following Minneapolis standoff Tuesday
WILLMAR, Minn. (FOX 9) - The man who was killed near Willmar on Tuesday after a standoff in Minneapolis has been identified.
What happened
According to authorities, Minneapolis police responded to an apartment building on the 2900 block of Lyndale Avenue South in Minneapolis at around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday following reports of shots fired from an apartment building along the popular stretch of the Lyn-Lake neighborhood.
When officers arrived, they were flagged down by people who said a person was shooting from the apartment balcony.
First responders were then able to locate two victims, the suspect's ex-girlfriend, and a current boyfriend. A child shared between the ex-girlfriend and the suspect was in daycare at the time, which was then placed on lockdown, police say.
After making contact with the suspect, police believe he then fled the building before leading police on an extended chase that led to western Minnesota.
Kandiyohi County officials say investigators believe the suspect shot and injured a man at a rural Kandiyohi County residence before he was pursued to the Highway 71/23 bypass southeast of Willmar, where law enforcement believe the man attempted a carjacking and then fatally shot the driver.
Authorities took the man into custody. He has since been booked in the Kandiyohi County Jail, and is being held on multiple charges that include murder, according to officials.
No officers used deadly force during the incident.
Who was involved
The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office identified the victim in the shooting near Willmar as Jerome Skluzacek, 55, of New London.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office says the victim from the shooting near Lake Lillian is in stable condition and is expected to survive. He's been identified as a 25-year-old man from Lake Lillian.
The suspect has been identified as a 25-year-old man from Minneapolis. He has not been charged as of this writing.
What they're saying
"This investigation is still ongoing and no further information will be released at this time," Kandiyohi County Sheriff's spokesperson Imran Ali said on Wednesday. "The Kandiyohi County Sheriff and several of his Deputies were witnesses to this violent incident. As such, no comments on these tragedies will be made by the Sheriff’s Office. Please keep the victims and their families in your thoughts and prayers and respect their privacy during this difficult time. The deputies and other law enforcement officers that responded and apprehended the suspect risked their lives to protect their communities. These women and men are true heroes."