Authorities identify Fargo officer who shot man during confrontation with police

Story by Helmut Schmidt | Fargo Forum

A man was shot late Wednesday night, March 21, after he allegedly brandished a large knife at police officers who responded to a domestic abuse disturbance call at a southside apartment complex, Fargo Police said in a news release.

Orlando Estrada, 28, Fargo, was transported to a local hospital for his injuries, police said Thursday, March 22.

Fargo Police Officer Jacob Rued, who has been with the department for two years, was identified as the officer who wounded Estrada. Rued has been placed on paid administrative leave, police said.

Estrada has been charged with felony aggravated assault of a peace officer and violation of a no-contact order, according to the Cass County Jail where he remained in custody Thursday.

According to the police report:

Officers responded to a domestic disturbance at 3101 32nd St. S. about 11:27 p.m. The caller told a Red River Regional Dispatch Center dispatcher that they heard yelling, arguing and crying from a women who also yelled at a man to get out of the apartment.

While en route to the call, a dispatcher confirmed an order for protection between a female resident in the apartment and Estrada.

Officers arrived, contacted the female victim and ordered Estrada to exit the apartment, the report said.

As officers started to enter the apartment, Estrada opened the door and brandished a large knife. Rued, who feared for his life, fired his service weapon and struck Estrada, police said.

Estrada then retreated into the apartment and secured the door.

Officers asked other occupants of the apartment to exit, which they did. Police then tried to order Estrada to exit the apartment so they could treat his wounds.

Later, the Red River Valley SWAT Team established a perimeter and talked with Estrada.

Sometime during all of this, someone filmed Estrada in an expletive-laden video that was obtained by WDAY-TV.

In the video, Estrada, who is apparently talking with a law enforcement negotiator, repeatedly shows his wounds to someone filming with a camera or cellphone and demands to talk with the officer who shot him, his brother and his "baby mama."

"Let me talk to my brother and I will go, bro," Estrada says, adding that his stomach hurts.

Estrada was eventually taken into custody and brought to an unidentified hospital for treatment.

Fargo Police said they will conduct the domestic violence and violation of the protection order investigation, while the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation will conduct the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.

Estrada has a number of misdemeanor convictions in Clay County reaching back to 2008, according to District Court records. He has been convicted of possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia, DWI, rioting, disorderly conduct, driving without a license and driving after revocation of his license, as well as other traffic offenses.

Estrada's criminal record in Cass County is less extensive, but does include a felony charge of interfering with an emergency call in a case filed in November 2017 that also involved a misdemeanor domestic violence charge of simple assault. That case is still working its way through the court system.

His most recent charge is for violating a no-contact order, a Class A misdemeanor, that was filed Feb. 20. That case is also still working its way through the courts.

This is the fourth officer-involved shooting in the area in the last couple months.

On March 12, members of the Red River Valley SWAT Team shot and killed Justin Dietrich, ending a standoff in West Fargo. Law enforcement officials have said Dietrich was shot because he refused to obey commands and presented an "imminent deadly threat" to SWAT officers.

On March 5, a Minnesota State Patrol trooper shot and wounded Melody Gray, 30, just east of Moorhead, after the Milwaukee woman allegedly had attempted to shoot him.

On Feb. 10, a Clay County sheriff's deputy wounded Brady Adrian, 19, in a Sabin, Minn., home. Adrian allegedly knocked a Taser out of one deputy's hands, then used the Taser on the deputy who then shot him.