William Joseph Headbird

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports that an arrest has been made in relation to a 2021 Cass Lake shooting.

According to Sheriff Tom Burch, on Friday, July 1st, authorities from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension arrested William Joseph Headbird, a 46-year-old man from Cass Lake. He has been charged with murder in the 2nd degree.

The shooting occurred on July 5th, 2021. During a house party, Diego Gasca, 34, from Cass Lake, was struck by gunfire during a drive-by shooting. EMS transported the victim to Cass Lake Indian Services Hospital. The victim was pronounced dead at the hospital. The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted an autopsy, leading to the investigation as this shooting appeared to be a targeted incident.

Law enforcement made the arrest with the cooperation of the Cass County Attorney’s Office, who filed charges on June 30th, 2022. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office also received assistance from the Leech Lake Tribal Police, the Paul Bunyan Task Force, the Itasca County Sheriff’s Office, the Grand Rapids Police Department, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension during the ongoing investigation.

By — Mary Balstad