1 killed, 2 hurt in drunken Minn. brawl
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.
A drunken gathering at a trailer home in northern Minnesota devolved into a major brawl that left one man dead and two people with serious injuries, the Beltrami County sheriff said Friday.
Authorities visited the house in Ten Lakes Township twice on Thursday, and the first time they found about 15 people who were "just bombed out of their minds," Sheriff Phil Hodapp said. Two people were arrested who had blood-alcohol contents of at least 0.40 percent, a potentially fatal level that's five times the legal limit to drive.
A few hours later deputies returned to the home to investigate a report of a brawl. They found a number of people "who were bleeding and in various states of distress." Hodapp said.
Emergency officials tried to revive one of the victims, but 44-year-old Leslie Headbird was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to a hospital. Two other victims, a male and female, were also hospitalized with serious injuries. Hodapp said both would likely be released over the weekend. A fourth person was treated for a minor injury.
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Officials at Sanford Bemidji Medical Center, where two of the injured were taken, locked the facility down overnight after hearing rumors of a possible retaliatory attack against one of the victims. Hospital spokeswoman Kari Knudson said Friday that an attack didn't happen.
The lockdown began Thursday at 8 p.m. and was lifted Friday at 6 a.m., she said. During a lockdown, all doors are locked and guarded by law enforcement, and all visitors have to be cleared by security.
Two suspects, both from Cass Lake, were arrested in connection with Headbird's death. One, an 18-year-old man, was found after he tried to break into a home and later carjack a vehicle. The other was a 29-year-old woman. Both were being held Friday on tentative charges of second-degree murder and assault.
Of the two people arrested during officers' first visit to the home, one is a man who had a court order prohibiting him from drinking alcohol. The other is a woman who was arrested for child endangerment after her young son was found amid the drinkers wearing a shirt but no pants.
The boy, whose age was not immediately available, was placed with social services, the sheriff said.