Two people dead after domestic, chase

Two people are dead after a domestic dispute and high-speed chase Tuesday night in Freeborn County.

The names have not been released.

The incident began about 7:10 p.m., when deputies responded to a disturbance at a home in the 21000 block of 880th Avenue in Oakland Township; the caller said firearms might be involved.

A man involved in the dispute had left the scene; authorities learned he was possibly heading to Mower County.

About 9:45 p.m., a Mower County deputy spotted the suspect in his vehicle and initiated a pursuit.

The chase wound its way south from Interstate 90 in Mower County, then east for a bit before it headed back west toward Freeborn County, often reaching speeds of 110-115 mph, according to scanner traffic.

The deputy requested help from the Minnesota State Patrol air patrol, which launched at 10:05 p.m.

Meanwhile, other members of law enforcement were able to deploy stop sticks on Freeborn County Road 34 as the suspect’s vehicle traveled north on 890th Avenue. The vehicle struck the sticks, but continued.

The driver turned west onto Freeborn County State Aid Highway 46, where he struck a second set of stop sticks that had been deployed.

It became apparent to the deputy leading the pursuit that the suspect may be heading back to the site of the original dispute earlier in the evening.

The vehicle turned south onto 880th Avenue, returning to the residence. The driver parked the vehicle and got out of the car, 20 minutes after the chase began.

At that point, a second deputy told the lead deputy, “be careful; he possibly has a firearm,” per scanner traffic of the incident.

Eighteen second later, dispatch was told shots had been fired.

About a minute later, the lead deputy clarified to the dispatcher, “shots fired by my own gun;” the suspect was “down” and a medical helicopter was called.

The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.

During a cursory search of the property by other officers on scene, a deceased woman was located near the residence. According to the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office, it is believed she died prior to law enforcement arrival.

This incident was a multi-jurisdictional response.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is on scene and is investigating. The involved law enforcement officers have been placed on critical incident leave.

Portions of the incident were captured by body worn cameras; more information will be released in the coming days.