Deputy injured, 2 suspects killed in shootout with police
SEBEKA, Minn. (AP) — Authorities say two suspects were killed and a sheriff's deputy was wounded in a shootout that began with a traffic stop Saturday night in northwestern Minnesota.
The Wadena County Sheriff's Office said in a release that the incident began about 8:45 p.m. after a struggle between the deputy and a motorist who was pulled over near Sebeka. The confrontation continued when a second suspect and a Sebeka police officer arrived on scene, the release said.
At least one of the motorists began shooting at the officers, according to the statement. One of the officers returned fire. All four people were struck by gunfire.
One suspect died at the scene and the other died at a hospital in Wadena. The wounded deputy was taken by air ambulance to a Twin Cities hospital for treatment of serious, non-life threatening injuries, the release said.. The Sebeka officer was struck in the protective vest and did not require medical treatment.
Sebeka is located about 90 miles east of the Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota metropolitan area.
The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the shooting. No further details have been released.
It is the state's third fatal police shooting in a week, following the death of a man after a lengthy standoff with law enforcement in Duluth on Friday and the death of a man near Braham on Feb. 21 after a carjacking in Blaine and pursuit into Isanti County