CLOQUET, Minn. — Investigators are trying to determine a motive after two people were fatally shot at a hotel in northern Minnesota Monday night, with the man suspected of killing them being discovered dead nearby.
During a press conference Tuesday, Cloquet Police Chief Derek Randall told reporters that squads were dispatched to the Super 8 hotel just after 6:30 p.m. after an employee called 911 and said a fellow employee had been attacked. Officers arrived within three minutes and found a 22-year-old clerk from Cloquet suffering from a gunshot wound. She was rushed to St. Luke's Medical Center in Duluth but unfortunately did not survive.
A second victim, a 35-year-old man from Deer River, was soon located inside a car in the hotel parking lot, dead from multiple gunshot wounds.
Not knowing what had transpired, Randall said an active shooter alert was sent to residents in the community asking them to shelter in place. Hotel customers were evacuated from the building and held in a safe place until police determined things were safe.
A third person, a 32-year-old man from Ramsey, was eventually located outside on hotel property with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The chief said a handgun was lying next to him. After reviewing surveillance video from the hotel, investigators confirmed that the Ramsey man was the suspected shooter.
Chief Randall said video indicates the incident took 10 minutes to unfold before his officers arrived.
Randall told reporters that investigators have not yet determined a motive or established the connection between the victims and the shooter. The chief said forensic experts from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) were on the scene all night collecting evidence and processing multiple vehicles and electronic devices off-site to shine a light on potential relationships.
Although police have not named the victims, a GoFundMe was posted for 22-year-old Shellby Marie Trettel.
"Shellby Marie Trettel was just planning out her future, living life to the fullest, and most of all had a huge heart and cared deeply for all of those she knew," the GoFundMe read.
The campaign is raising money for the family to pay for a funeral and other expenses.
Social media erupted on Monday night with posts on the incident, including one from Gov. Tim Walz.
"I am praying for those killed in another senseless act of gun violence tonight in Cloquet," Gov. Tim Walz posted on social media. "To the law enforcement officers who responded, thank you. The state stands ready to provide continued support to local authorities."
Chief Randall said while he has worked homicides in the community, he could not recall a "shelter in place" order being issued in his 20 years on the force.
Cloquet is located just over 20 miles southwest of Duluth.
*This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
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