Crime

Shooting at Idaho Middle School Injures 3; Student Captured

BOISE, Idaho (AP) – Authorities say a shooting at an eastern Idaho middle school has injured two students and a custodian, and a student suspected of being the shooter has been taken into custody. The Jefferson County sheriff says the victims’ injuries aren’t believed to be life-threatening. Police were called to the school around 9:15 a.m. Thursday, and multiple law…

Duluth Police Investigating Two East Hillside Shots Fired Incidents

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police are investigating two shots fired incidents in the East Hillside neighborhood late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. According to police, officers responded to the first incident of shots fired around 11:45 p.m. Wednesday on North 3rd Avenue East and East 8th Street. When officers arrived at the scene they found multiple shell casings on…

Superior Gymnastics Coach Charged With Felony Sexual Assault Of Underage Girls

SUPERIOR, Wis. – A Superior gymnastics coach was arrested and charged on Wednesday for the alleged sexual assault of two teenagers he coached at Twin Ports Gymnastics. George Deppa Jr., 47, of Superior, is charged with two counts of felony sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age and one count of exposing genitals. According to the criminal…

Chauvin Moves to Have Guilty Verdicts Thrown Out, Asks for New Trial

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Derek Chauvin’s attorney filed a motion asking the court to throw out his guilty verdicts and schedule a new trial Tuesday. The filing, made by Attorney Eric Nelson, cites jury intimidation and a failure of the court to sequester the jury as some of the reasons he is asking for a new trial. In the filing, Nelson argues…

Wisconsin Guard Soldier, Friend Charged in Capitol Attack

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin Army National Guard member and his friend have been charged with entering the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6 attack. Abram Markofski and Brandon Nelson are charged with four counts including entering and remaining in a restricted building and disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds. Markofski joined the National Guard…

1-Year-Old Killed in Walker Following Hit-and-Run in Driveway, Suspect Arrested

WALKER, Minn. – The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a 1-year-old girl was struck and killed in a driveway in Walker, Minnesota Sunday evening. According to the sheriff’s office, deputies responded to a call that a girl had been hit by a car on Breezy Point Circle in Shingobee Township around 4:55 p.m. When authorities arrived at the scene they…

Special Report: When Love Turns Deadly

The daughter of murder victim Loretta Billman speaks out to raise awareness about domestic violence.

SAGINAW, Minn. – Every year, more than 600 American women are shot to death by intimate partners — roughly one every 14 hours, according to Giffords.org. The senseless crime has no boundaries, and that was the case just months ago for a woman in Saginaw shot and killed by her significant other in a case of murder-suicide. In a special…

Prosecutors Seek Higher Sentence For Chauvin In Floyd Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Prosecutors are asking a judge to give Derek Chauvin a penalty that’s more severe than state guidelines call for when he is sentenced in June for George Floyd’s death. In documents filed Friday, prosecutors said many factors warrant a tougher sentence, including that Floyd was particularly vulnerable and that Chauvin abused his authority as a police officer….

Police Arrest Minnesota Bar Owner Who Defied Virus Orders

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A business owner in southern Minnesota who missed a court date as she faces criminal charges for defying pandemic-related restrictions was arrested Thursday in Iowa. Lisa Hanson, who owns a wine and coffee bar in Albert Lea, was arrested by police in Clear Lake, Iowa near a rental property where she had been staying, the Star Tribune reported. She…

Prosecutor in Daunte Wright’s Death Not Swayed By Critics

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As activists in Minnesota press for murder charges against the police officer who shot Daunte Wright, the prosecutor is sticking by the manslaughter charge he filed. Wright died April 11 when the 20-year-old Black motorist was shot during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb. The city’s police chief said he believed Kim Potter mixed up her…

Trial of Other Cops Charged in Floyd’s Death to Be Broadcast

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Derek Chauvin’s murder trial was the first Minnesota criminal trial to be broadcast live on television. It won’t be the last. Some in the Minnesota legal system were apprehensive about allowing the live broadcast of Chauvin’s trial over the killing of George Floyd, but the video feed had no major problems and bolstered the public’s understanding of…

Duluth P.D Investigating Overnight Stabbing in Hillside Neighborhood

The victim was taken to a local hospital where his condition is currently unknown. 

DULUTH, Minn. — Duluth police continue to investigate a stabbing in the cities east hillside neighborhood. Officers responded to a call shortly before 10 p.m. at 820 east 4th street on reports of a male who had been stabbed and ran into the nearby laundromat. The suspect remains at large Friday morning. Both the victim and the suspect were known…

Special Report Preview: When Love Turns Deadly

Story to air Sunday on FOX 21 Local News at 9

A special report – When Love Turns Deadly – Sunday night on FOX 21 News at 9: “This wasn’t an accident. This man knew who he was taking from us. He saw my mom and he decided that nobody else could have her,” said Kari Matthes, Loretta Billman’s daughter. The daughter of 62-year-old Loretta Billman speaks out to FOX 21’s…

Suspect Formally Charged in Piedmont Standoff

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police say the man arrested in connection to last week’s standoff in the Piedmont Heights neighborhood has been formally charged. According to court documents, 31-year-old Jesse Lee Fechner has been charged with felony receiving stolen property, possessing ammo/any firearm, two counts of fourth-degree assault on a police officer, and obstructing legal process with force. Last week,…

Chauvin Juror Says Guilty Verdicts Could Have Come Quicker

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A juror who cast one of the unanimous votes to convict a white former Minneapolis police officer of killing George Floyd said deliberations were primarily spent trying to convince one person who was uncertain about part of the jury instructions. Brandon Mitchell is the first juror that deliberated in Derek Chauvin’s trial to talk publicly about his…

Update: One Person Shot in Downtown Duluth Tuesday Morning

UPDATE: Authorities have provided additional information in connection to Tuesday morning’s downtown Duluth shooting incident. Police say they received reports of hearing multiple gunshots just before 8:00 a.m. and that a male had been shot. When officers arrived at the scene on the 200 block of East 3rd Street they did not locate a victim but found multiple casings as…

Derek Chauvin’s Sentencing Pushed Back to June 25

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer found guilty of murder in George Floyd’s death, will now be sentenced on June 25. Online court records show Chauvin’s sentencing has been pushed back from June 16 to June 25. The change was made due to the availability of the parties, sources told FOX 9. Chauvin, 45, was convicted of second-degree murder, third-degree…

One Arrested in Backus Drug Investigation

BACKUS, Minn. – According to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, a 56-year-old Backus man was arrested Monday following an ongoing drug investigation related to the sale of methamphetamine. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office says a search warrant was conducted at a residence in the City of Backus where 62 grams of suspected methamphetamine was found along with other drug paraphernalia…

Duluth Police Investigating Tuesday Morning Downtown Shooting

DULUTH, Minn. – Duluth Police are investigating a shooting that took place in the downtown area of Duluth Tuesday morning. According to police, officers responded to reports of a shooting around 8:00 a.m. in the location of 2nd Avenue East and 3rd Street. Authorities are still on the scene and say this is an active investigation. No additional information was…

Justice Dept. Opens Policing Probe Over Breonna Taylor Death

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department is opening a sweeping probe into policing in Louisville, Kentucky over the March 2020 death of Breonna Taylor, who was shot to death by police during a raid at her home. The 26-year-old Taylor, an emergency medical technician who had been studying to become a nurse, was roused from sleep by police who came…

Shots Fired at Plymouth Middle School, ‘All Students Safe’

(courtesy: Fox9) PLYMOUTH, Minn. (FOX 9) – Plymouth Middle School in Plymouth, Minnesota is in lockdown due to a shots fired incident Monday morning, Plymouth police confirmed. Robbinsdale Area Schools says all students are safe. No injuries have been reported. One person is in custody and police said the scene is “contained” and officers are not looking for any additional suspects. Plymouth police…

Police Investigating Hate Messages at Fargo-Moorhead Mosque

MOORHEAD, Minn. (AP) — Police are investigating hate messages that were found spray-painted on the outside of a mosque in the Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota metropolitan area. Officers were dispatched to the Moorhead Fargo Islamic Community Center, which is located in Moorhead, about 5:20 a.m. Sunday. Police said the graffiti was found in several areas on and around…

FOX NEWS REPORT: Chauvin Has Sentencing Date Set for June

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-According to a Fox News report, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who has been convicted of killing George Floyd, will be sentenced June 16. A Minnesota Judicial Branch spokesperson told Fox News that there was an entry for the sentencing but documents have not been filed yet. The sentencing will take place at 1:30 p.m. Jurors found Chauvin, 45,…

Duluth Police Responding to an Individual Barricaded Inside His Home

DULUTH, Minn. – A nearly eight-hour police standoff in Duluth’s Piedmont neighborhood Thursday ended peacefully with the suspect in custody. The standoff started around 1 p.m. in a home on the 2200 block of Nanticoke Street involving a 30-year-old man wanted on “significant charges,” according to a city spokesperson, Kate Van Daele. “Our officers exhausted every option to have this…

Gov. Evers Orders Use of Force Updates for State Law Enforcement

The Evers executive order came Wednesday after the Assembly’s bipartisan racial disparities task force issued 18 recommendations to address policing practices statewide.

(Steve Apps/Wisconsin State Journal via AP, File) MADISON, Wis. (AP) – Gov. Tony Evers has ordered the Wisconsin State Patrol and other state law enforcement agencies to update their use of force policies to prohibit chokeholds, unless as a last resort. The Evers executive order came Wednesday after the Assembly’s bipartisan racial disparities task force issued 18 recommendations to address…

What Next After Chauvin’s Conviction on 3 Counts?

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Derek Chauvin was handcuffed and taken into custody Tuesday after being convicted of all three counts against him. Twelve jurors found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, ultimately deciding that Chauvin caused Floyd’s death and that his actions were not that of a reasonable officer. Prosecutors didn’t have to prove Chauvin’s restraint was…

Derek Chauvin Found Guilty In the Death of George Floyd

(CNN) – Former Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted on all charges by a jury in the Hennepin County court. The 12 jurors found him guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in George Floyd’s death in May 2020. The maximum sentence for second-degree unintentional murder is imprisonment of not more than 40 years. The…

Murder Case Against Ex-Cop in Floyd’s Death Goes to the Jury

MINNEAPOLIS (AP/Fox9) — The murder case against former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has gone to the jury. Twelve jurors are beginning deliberations in a city on edge against another round of unrest. During closing arguments, prosecutors argued that Chauvin squeezed the life out of Floyd by pinning his knee against Floyd’s neck last…

Governor Walz Requests Assistance From States in Advance of Chauvin Trial Verdict

ST. PAUL, Minn. – On Monday afternoon, Governor Tim Walz issued a request for Ohio and Nebraska to bring assistance to Minnesota in advance of the Derek Chauvin trial verdict. The request was made under the Federal Emergency Management Assistance Compact. “As the world awaits a verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin, we need support in our efforts to…

Suspect In Wisconsin Bar Shooting That Killed 3 Identified

KENOSHA, Wis. (AP) — The man in custody in connection with a shooting at a southeastern Wisconsin tavern that left three men dead and three others injured was expected to appear in court Monday for a bond hearing. Kenosha County sheriff’s officials identified the man being held in the Kenosha County Jail as 24-year-old Rakayo Alandis Vinson. Kenosha County Sheriff’s…

Attorneys at Chauvin Trial in Floyd Death Make Final Pitch

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Attorneys in the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer charged with killing George Floyd will make their closing arguments Monday. Each side will be seeking to distill three weeks of testimony into a compelling argument that persuades jurors to deliver their view of the right verdict. For prosecutors, it’s that Derek Chauvin recklessly squeezed the life…

GND Rec Area Vandalized

The estimated repairs will take several weeks and the sport court will remain closed until they are completed.

DULUTH, Minn. —  The Gary New Duluth Rec Center is in its final stages of construction, but on Thursday, organizers noticed several thousand dollars worth of damages to the property. Vandalism and graffiti can be seen on the skate park, one of the glass basketball hoop backboards was shattered, and one of the excavators from the construction company was also…

Man Pleads Guilty to 2019 Murder of Outing Woman

AITKIN, Minn. – The 35-year-old man charged in the 2019 murder of an Outing woman pleaded guilty to second-degree unintentional murder on Thursday. Joshua Emil Karjala, of Swatara, was arrested on October 5 for violating his probation. According to authorities, while executing a search warrant at Karjala’s home on October 15 the body of Michelle Mae was located. Mae had…

Police ID Killer in FedEx Shooting As 19-Year-Old Man

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities have identified the suspect in a mass shooting at an Indianapolis FedEx facility as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana. Two law enforcement officials briefed on the matter provided the identity to The Associated Press on Friday. The officials say investigators are searching a home in Indianapolis associated with Hole and have seized evidence, including desktop…

Two Harbors Man Sentenced to Six Years Probation in Midway Township Hit-And-Run Crash

DULUTH, Minn. – A Two Harbors man has been sentenced to six year’s probation for causing a hit-and-run crash in Midway Township last June that seriously injured five people. Rodney Drake Scandin Jr., 36, pleaded guilty in November to five felony charges of criminal vehicular operation. According to authorities, on June 27 Scandin rear-ended a Subaru with his Ford F-150…

Police Trying to Identify Gunman, Motive in FedEx Shooting

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Authorities say they have not yet identified the gunman of a motive in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility near the Indianapolis airport. Deputy Chief Craig McCartt of the Indianapolis police said the suspect started randomly shooting in the parking lot and then went into the building. Police say a gunman killed eight people and wounded…

Police: 8 Dead in Shooting at FedEx Facility in Indianapolis

Eight people were shot and killed and the shooter killed himself, police said.

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Eight people were shot and killed in a late-night shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, and the shooter killed himself, police said. Several other people were injured Thursday night when gunfire erupted at the facility near the Indianapolis International Airport, police spokesperson Genae Cook said. At least four were hospitalized, including one person with critical injuries….

Closing Arguments to Begin Monday in Chauvin Trial

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The defense at the murder trial of former Officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd has rested its case without putting Chauvin on the stand, wrapping up after two days of testimony to the prosecution’s two weeks. Chauvin informed the court Thursday that he will not testify, saying he would invoke his Fifth Amendment right…

Ex-Minnesota Cop Faces Hearing In Shooting Of Daunte Wright

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A former Minnesota police officer faces her first court appearance in the traffic-stop shooting of Black motorist Daunte Wright that has engulfed a small Minneapolis suburb in four straight days of bitter conflict between protesters and police. Kim Potter, who quit her job on the Brooklyn Center force two days after Wright’s death, is expected…

Former Minnesota Cop Charged In Shooting Of Black Motorist

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP/Fox 9) — A Minnesota prosecutor has charged a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright with second-degree manslaughter. Potter was arrested by agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension at 11:30 a.m. CT at BCA headquarters in St. Paul. She will be booked into the Hennepin County Jail in…

Minnesota Cop Will Be Charged In Shooting Of Black Motorist

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota prosecutor says he will charge a white former suburban Minneapolis police officer who fatally shot 20-year-old Black motorist Daunte Wright during a traffic stop. Washington County Attorney Pete Orput said Wednesday that Kim Potter will be charged with second-degree manslaughter. Orput’s announcement comes a day after Potter resigned from the Brooklyn Center Police…

Judge Refuses Request to Acquit Chauvin in Floyd’s Death

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The judge in Derek Chauvin’s murder trial has denied a defense motion to acquit the former police officer in George Floyd’s death. Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson argued Wednesday that prosecutors did not prove that Chauvin’s actions killed Floyd. The request comes a day after a use-of-force expert said Chauvin was justified in pinning Floyd to the ground…

AP Source: Ponzi Schemer Bernie Madoff Dies in Prison

NEW YORK (AP) — Bernie Madoff, the financier who pleaded guilty to orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, has died in prison. A person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that Madoff died early Wednesday at the federal medical center in Butner, North Carolina, apparently of natural causes. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and…

Duluth East Student In Custody After Ammunition Found in Locker, 90-Minute Lockdown

Duluth East went into lockdown Tuesday morning after a loaded magazine with 9 mm ammunition was discovered in a student's locker.

DULUTH, Minn.- Authorities said the situation at Duluth East High School is safe and the lockdown has been lifted after ammunition was found Tuesday morning in a student’s locker. “I was scared because most of my friends are in that building right now and I don’t know how they’re doing,” Junior Katie Higgins said. Duluth East went into lockdown Tuesday…

Minnesota Police Chief, Cop Quit After Black Driver’s Death

BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (AP) — A white Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a Black man during a traffic stop in a Minneapolis suburb, and the city’s chief of police resigned Tuesday. Officer Kim Potter and Police Chief Tim Gannon both resigned two days after the death of 20-year-old Daunte Wright in Brooklyn Center. Potter was a 26-year veteran. She…