Man who killed deputy was charged with terrorizing wife

Updated: 4:06 p.m. | Posted: 1:40 p.m.

The man who shot and killed an Aitkin County sheriff's deputy Sunday in a St. Cloud hospital was facing charges of kidnapping and threatening his wife.

Law enforcement authorities say Danny Leroy Hammond, 50, killed Deputy Steven Martin Sandberg, 60, after the two struggled in a hospital room where Hammond was under guard. Hammond apparently wrestled the deputy's gun away and shot him to death, although investigators are still trying to figure out what happened leading up to the shooting.

Hammond was shocked with a Taser and taken into custody by two hospital security guards and another sheriff's deputy. He later died. Autopsies are being performed on both men.

Hammond had been wanted by police for threatening his wife and holding his wife hostage at her home in Glen Township on Oct. 10 and 11, according to a criminal complaint filed last week. He faced 11 charges for the incidents, including kidnapping, terroristic threats and assault.

The victim told investigators that the couple had been together for 25 years, and that he'd been abusive throughout the relationship. He recently threatened suicide when she told him she wanted a divorce.

When she said she no longer loved him on Oct. 10, she said he locked all the doors and removed handles from all the windows so they wouldn't open. Hammond took out a 9mm handgun and told her they were together until "death do we part." She told investigators that Hammond pointed the gun at both of them, and at one point grabbed her by her hair and put the gun to her head.

The complaint says that Hammond also forced her to eat food that he said contained rat poison. She told police she was able to unlock the back door while he wasn't looking and try to run away, but that he caught her, pulled off her shirt and dragged her back into the house by her hair.

Hammond forced her to lay down in bed with him while he was handling the gun. At one point, the gun went off and a bullet hit the television in the bedroom. The next morning, she convinced him to let her go, according to the complaint. She reported the crimes to law enforcement officers, including Sandberg, on Oct. 11 after she arrived at her father's house in Aitkin. Police said she was distraught and had cuts and abrasions on her knees, foot and palm.

Officers didn't find Hammond at his house, although they found a .22 revolver, ammunition, handcuffs and an empty holster for a 9mm gun. The Aitkin County Sheriff's Office said in a statement on Monday that Hammond was found unresponsive in his home on the morning of Oct. 12. He was transported to St. Cloud Hospital by helicopter and checked into the Intensive Care Unit. Sheriff's deputies started to monitor Hammond on Oct. 15, when they say his medical condition improved.

Sandberg had served with the sheriff's office since 1991, Aitkin County Sheriff Scott Turner said. He is survived by his wife and daughter.

Friends and family of Sandberg are gathering for a candlelight vigil Monday evening at Aitkin United Methodist Church, where Pastor Dawn Houser says Sandberg was a dedicated member.

"Not unlike a lot of our parishioners, he would just fill in wherever we needed him to fill in and help out and do whatever needed to be done," Houser said.

Hammond had been convicted of felonies more than 25 years ago including escaping from custody, third-degree burglary and making terroristic threats, according to court records. Charging documents note that an order of protection had been taken out against him last November and was valid until November 2016.

MPR News' Matt Sepic contributed to this report.