After a suspect opened fire on a busy roadway in Fargo, North Dakota on Friday afternoon, one police officer was killed and two others were gravely injured, officials said. The guy was shot and killed by responding officers shortly before 3 p.m.
Police confirmed late last night that a civilian had been gravely injured, but gave no explanation for what had prompted the attack. Fargo police have said the investigation is underway and that they are withholding the officers’ and suspect’s identity until they have notified their families.
In reaction to a “shooting incident,” North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley stated the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation was coordinating with federal, state, and local authorities. According to Gregg Schildberger, the city’s chief communications officer, the police department will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday at Fargo City Hall to provide additional information.
The below tweet verifies the news:
Officer killed and 2 police injured in shooting that also left suspect dead on a North Dakota street https://t.co/bGce17ZDEC
— WOKV News (@WOKVNews) July 15, 2023
“We sincerely are asking for your patience and our community’s patience and understanding as the Fargo Police Department works through this incident,” Schildberger said Friday evening. “This is very difficult on all of us,” Schildberger said. “We appreciate all the messages from the community that have been given to us in support of our officers.”
Paul Heinert, a spokesman for Sanford Medical Center Fargo, said in an email that the facility treated patients injured in the incident and that more information on the patients’ conditions would be provided by the Fargo police. Several eyewitnesses saw a guy start fire on police, prompting return fire from the force.
Immediately after the shooting, police surrounded a neighborhood about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away and evacuated the occupants while allegedly collecting evidence linked to the incident. Shots were heard and seen by onlookers, they said. Shannon Nichole said she was behind the wheel and listening to KFGO Radio.
“I saw the traffic stop and as soon as I drove, shots were fired and I saw the cops go down,” Nichole said. “My airbag went off and the bullet went through my driver’s door.” According to Nichole, a man grabbed her and insisted that they go immediately.
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While traveling with her daughter, 22-years-old Chenoa Peterson said to The Associated Press, “He proceeds to aim it and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! “He’s firing! Peterson wanted to stop and offer assistance, but she left after realizing her kid was in danger if she stayed.”
“It’s weird knowing that if you were 10 seconds earlier, you could have been in that,” she remarked. Allison Carlson, a Fargo local who provided surveillance footage, confirmed the presence of rapid gunfire. When Bo Thi heard what could have been fireworks or a motorcycle backfiring, she was working alone at a manicure salon close to the crime scene.
She claimed she had not even considered the possibility of gunfire. Regional law enforcement agencies expressed their condolences to their counterparts in Fargo via Facebook. “Those from the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police are “thinking of our brothers and sisters in Fargo,” according to a Facebook post.
The Glenwood Fire Department in Minnesota posted, “Please keep the blue lights shining to show our support of not only our local law enforcement, but also those affected by todays events!”
If you’re looking for up-to-date information on what’s happening in the Golden State, go no farther than The California Examiner.
