Edina man charged with attempted murder after rifle jams in alleged police ambush
REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. — An Edina man, 27, is accused of attempted murder after his rifle jammed in an alleged police ambush, charges say.
According to the criminal complaint, the man is charged with attempted first-degree murder, first- and second-degree assault and possessing metal penetrating bullets.
During the night of Aug. 28, Redwood County Dispatch received a report of a suicide victim in Ramsey Park, located in Redwood Falls, according to the court document. The caller didn't provide any further details and hung up.
The same number then called Redwood County's non-emergency line. The complaint says that dispatch answered the phone, but there was no response from the caller. The phone was tracked on a walking bridge near the Redwood Falls Hydroelectric Power Plant.
Responding officers found a Mazda registered to the 27-year-old parked near a shelter at the park. Police found camping supplies, water, a Bible, a crucifix, Narcan and notebooks inside the vehicle.
Officers then called for the man, saying they were there to help him. After a brief search, officers spotted the man running towards the walking bridge. While running, according to the complaint, officers noticed he dropped a rifle case.
Once on the bridge, the man climbed over the railing, but was grabbed by police to prevent him from falling or jumping.
The man is in custody at Redwood County jail.
According to the complaint, the rifle case contained a loaded AR-15 with multiple modifications and 10 fully loaded magazines with around 300 rounds of ammunition. Some of the ammunition, officials say, was armor-piercing.
Police inspecting the rifle found it was jammed.
On Aug. 29, Redwood Falls police were granted a search warrant to look at the man's phone. They found multiple concerning images, searches about religious questions, and notes, according to the complaint.
The complaint says one entry in the phone said "I'm for involuntary assisted suicide or murder."
Other entries described how to shoot a 9mm handgun at long distance and how to stand while shooting a gun.
A woman told officers the man withdrew his life savings from his bank account and gave her a check for $78,000, according to the complaint. She believed the man had some sort of plan because of the check and told officers he would never take his own life.