MANKATO, Minn. — The City of Mankato said a nearly two-day-long standoff has come to a "peaceful" end Thursday afternoon.
In a Facebook update shared just before 12:15 p.m. on April 20, the city said, "The incident at Hilltop Lane has been safely resolved and there was a peaceful resolution. Both father and son are safe, and there are no injuries."
The situation began on Tuesday, April 18 when police officers spotted someone related to an ongoing investigation surrounding a missing 2-year-old child.
The suspect fled on foot and during the pursuit allegedly fired a gun in the direction of an officer chasing him. The shot did not hit the officer.
City officials said the suspect then ran into an apartment building and refused to come out, prompting a days-long standoff with police. Early Wednesday morning police asked residents near Hoffman Road and Victory Drive, as well as Victoria Drive and Marwood Drive, to shelter in place.
That shelter-in-place order was lifted later in the morning, though the standoff continued throughout the day.
“We had an alert come out around 5:45 saying shelter in place there’s an active incident,” said Anna King, who lives nearby. “That made us a little nervous after we heard there was shots. So it’s pretty scary.”
A nationwide arrest warrant and felony charges had been filed against Walter Brown, the father of the 2-year-old involved in the investigation, in relation to his son's disappearance. Charges include violating a no-contact order, as well as depriving parental custody by refusing to return a minor.
Though the city said a "father and son" are safe following the standoff, neither the city nor police has confirmed that Brown was the person involved.
Along with initially ordering residents to shelter in place, Mankato East High School canceled all after-school activities Wednesday, though all schools in the district opened at their scheduled time.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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