2 People Killed, Deputy Injured in Officer-Involved Shooting in Wadena County

Two people were shot and killed and one deputy was injured in an officer-involved shooting after a traffic stop in Wadena County.

A little before 9 PM on February 27, a Wadena County deputy pulled over a driver for a traffic offense at the intersection near 205th Avenue and 270th Street in North Germany Township.

According to the release, a struggle between the deputy and the driver began when a second driver arrived a few moments later. A Sebeka Police Department officer then arrived and the struggle continued when one of the drivers began shooting towards the officer. One of the officers then started to shoot back, and all four people were struck by gunfire.

One of the two people who were shot died at the scene, and the other was transported by ambulance to Tri-County Health Care in Wadena where they later died. The names of the two people who died during the incident will be released once autopsies have been completed and families have been notified.

The Wadena County deputy was injured and transported to St. Joseph’s Health in Park Rapids and then transferred to North Memorial Health Hospital with serious but non-life threatening injuries. The deputy was released yesterday afternoon from the hospital and is recovering at home. The Sebeka officer who was struck in the vest did not require medical treatment.

The deputy and the Sebeka Police Officer will be identified once the BCA has completed initial interviews. The BCA will determine whether the incident was captured on dash cameras and body worn cameras.

This is an active and ongoing investigation. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation to the Wadena County Attorney’s Office for review.