Stevens Co. sheriff's deputy fatally shoots man after 50-mile chase
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An Evansville, Minn., man was shot and killed Friday morning by a Stevens County sheriff's deputy after a 50-mile, three-county chase. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating.
In a statement Friday, the BCA said a deputy from the Stevens County Sheriff's Office responded to a report of an erratic driver just after 7 a.m. outside the town of Donnelly, Minn.
The deputy found a stopped pickup truck, with a driver who appeared to be slumped over.
The deputy spoke with the man — later identified as Jay Holmgren, 37, of Evansville — and took down information from his driver's license, but Holmgren quickly drove away.
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That kicked off an hour-and-a-half chase during which the BCA reported Holmgren led officers 50 miles across Stevens, Grant and Traverse counties. At points, the BCA said, the chase reached speeds of 80 miles per hour. During the pursuit, Holmgren allegedly rammed a Morris Police Department squad car and shot out of the rear window of his truck at squad cars.
Officers were able to stop Holmgren's truck by spinning it out on Highway 27 between Wheaton and Browns Valley, Minn.
There was a brief standoff, according to the BCA, during which officers tried to negotiate with Holmgren. After refusing to comply with officers' commands, the BCA reported, he got out of his truck with a handgun and ran toward a field on the west side of the highway.
Five officers in a Traverse County Sheriff's Office vehicle pursued Holmgren through the field. About 175 yards off the highway, they got into his path.
The BCA reported that, from 25 yards away, Holmgren aimed his handgun at the officers and one of the officers — Stevens County Deputy Ron Hensinger — fired at Holmgren, striking him. Holmgren died at the scene.
The BCA is investigating the fatal shooting and will turn its investigation, once complete, over to the Traverse County Attorney's Office. Formal identification and an autopsy will be handled by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner.