Sheriff's deputy killed on his 44th birthday in Minnesota shootout
One sheriff's deputy died on his 44th birthday and two other law enforcement officers were injured after a shootout in west-central Minnesota that also killed the suspect in a domestic assault call Saturday night.
Pope County Sheriff's Deputy Joshua Owen died at the hospital after the shooting, which happened around 7:30 p.m. at an apartment in Cyrus, authorities said. Another deputy and a police officer from Starbuck, Minnesota, were also injured, but are expected to be OK.
Dozens filled the streets of Glenwood, the western Minnesota town where Owen lived, to welcome Owen home on Monday after his body was transported from the Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Ramsey.
Supporters of Deputy Josh Owen are lined up on top of overpasses along Interstate 94. A long procession of law enforcement is taking his body home. pic.twitter.com/2zHuAbD9r5
— John Lauritsen (@JDLauritsen) April 17, 2023
It was an extremely long procession with nearly every law enforcement agency in the state represented - all there to show support for the family and friends of Owen. Owen's parents, wife and son were among those lined up on the sidewalks.
Owen's mother Kathy Yarns spoke with CBS News on Sunday near the memorial for her son.
"I don't think it's really hit me yet," said Yarns. "I know how much he loved the police chief and the guys he worked with. He just held them in such high regard."
The shooting began after the officers told a man that he was going to be arrested for domestic assault. Scott Mueller, deputy superintendent for investigations at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the man responded by pulling a handgun and shooting at the officers. That agency is investigating the shooting.
The man officers exchanged gunfire with died at the scene. His name and the names of the other officers involved in the incident were not immediately released Sunday.
Mueller said all three officers were wearing body cameras, and that footage will be released later.
This shooting extends a streak of gunfire involving police officers in the state.
"In 2023, we've had seven police officers shot in the line of duty in Minnesota," Mueller said. "This is an alarming trend that needs to stop now."
The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association identified Owen as the deputy who died Sunday morning.
"This killing is a senseless act of violence and hate towards police officers who put everything on the line to serve and protect our communities," association director Brian Peters said. "It shows the dangers of the job that police do every day, and how what could be considered a 'normal' day could turn into their last day."
Owen had worked as a deputy for nearly 12 years after previously serving in the U.S. military, Sheriff Tim Riley said. His squad car was parked outside the Pope County Courthouse in Glenwood Sunday with a bouquet of flowers on the ground in front of the car.
"Deputy Owen had a heart as big as his stature. He leaves behind a wife and a son," Riley said while trying to hold back tears at a news conference Sunday afternoon. "He loved his family, his brotherhood and his community."
According to the Pope County Sheriff's office's Facebook page, Owen was just honored last month along with two other first responders for his response to a Glenwood house fire in November. The department said Owen helped care for an individual injured in the fire after another deputy and another responder pulled that person from a burning house.
Cyrus is a town of about 300 people that is 140 miles northwest of Minneapolis.