Cloquet police: Motive still not known in fatal motel shooting
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Cloquet police say they still haven’t established a clear motive for the shooting at a motel that left three people dead in that city earlier this month.
Authorities said Monday they also haven’t found any connections between the two victims and the man suspected of killing them at the Super 8 motel before taking his own life on Jan. 8.
Investigators are continuing to focus on digital evidence obtained at the scene and are awaiting a final autopsy report for the suspect, including toxicology results.
That report is expected in four to six weeks, Police Chief Derek Randall said in Monday’s update.
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“We expect these findings to help us understand the incident better,” Randall wrote, saying detectives “continue to pursue all leads and avenues of inquiry to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the events that transpired.”
Police were called to the Super 8 motel in Cloquet just after 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 8.
A motel employee, 22-year-old Shellby Marie Trettel of Cloquet, was found with a gunshot wound to the head inside the building.
A second victim, 35-year-old Patrick Jeffery Roers of Deer River, was found in a vehicle in the parking lot with multiple gunshot wounds.
The suspect, 32-year-old Nicholas Elliot Lenius of Ramsey, was found outside with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound and a weapon near his body.
Randall said previously that investigators believe both men were guests at the motel.
Previous court filings indicated that investigators were looking at Lenius’ cell phone and a camera in his vehicle. Lenius reportedly talked with someone identified as his supervisor during the incident.