Ridge Kinney

One person is in custody and another is in the hospital following a shooting in Brainerd.

According to the Brainerd Police Department, on Sunday, April 16 at approximately 2:18 p.m., officers responded to a report of shots fired in a cul-de-sac on the 700 block of Southwest 8th Street. When officers arrived, they found a 29-year-old Brainerd male, Austin Mattson, with non-life threatening injuries. An ambulance transported the victim to an area hospital.

A suspect, 21-year-old Ridge Kinney of Baxter, was identified. Officers learned the suspect had left the scene in a vehicle prior to their arrival. Law enforcement located him along with the vehicle along the 6000 block of Woida Road in Baxter. Kinney was then taken into custody.

The Brainerd Police Department states it is believed the victim was intentionally targeted. There are no public safety threats identified. Currently, the incident is an active investigation. The Brainerd Police Department requests anyone with information regarding this incident to call the department.

The Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Baxter Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol, Nisswa Police Department, and Crow Wing County Drone Team assisted with the investigation.

Updated 4/17/23 at 11:28 p.m. with the name of the suspect and victim in the incident.

By — Mary Balstad