Minneapolis, MN
Minneapolis grocery store clerk impaled with golf club by attacker, police say
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — A 66-year-old man working behind the counter at a small grocery store was killed when he was attacked and impaled with a golf club, police say.
The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports friends and family have identified the victim as Robert Skafte, who had worked for decades at Oak Grove Grocery. A suspect is in custody.
A news release from police says the attack was reported just before 1 p.m. Friday at the grocery store. When officers arrived, they found Skafte behind the counter and a golf club had been impaled through his torso.
Police and EMS workers performed medical aid on Skafte until he was taken to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he died of his wounds.
Information from witnesses helped police track the 44-year-old suspect to a nearby apartment. The suspect barricaded himself inside the apartment, prompting SWAT and a bomb squad to respond.
The suspect, whose identity has not been released, surrendered to police after nearly six hours of negotiations, police say.
Police are still trying to determine what led up to the attack. The Star-Tribune reports the suspect had selected some items while in the store and walked up to the counter before the attack.
The Star-Tribune reports Skafte was an accomplished dancer and had performed throughout the Minneapolis area.
“It’s hard to wrap your head around something so tragic happening to someone so sweet,” said Myron Johnson, founder of Ballet of the Dolls, for which Skafte had performed. “Robert was rare because he was a great dancer who could also act. He was such a bright light.”
Minneapolis, MN
Four local gymnasts headed to Olympic Trials in Minneapolis
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — What is the threshold for success for an athlete?
Well, everyone is different.
For some, it’s making the starting lineup on varsity.
For others, it’s securing that college athletic scholarship and playing at the next level, and maybe even getting to the pros.
But for four local trampoline gymnasts, they’re eyeing something bigger….the Olympics.
Paul Bretscher, Cody Gesuelli, Maia Amano, and Trinity Van Natta, all returned from Lima, Peru, after competing at the Pan American Championships for Team USA in Trampoline Gymnastics.
All are returning with a gold medal in hand.
“I actually just came off of a knee injury, so I tore several ligaments in my knee back in April of last year and I had surgery for that. And so this was my first international competition since that injury. So for me, it was all about like, you know, proving to myself that I can still compete on an international stage and um, I think I was able to do that because I ended up getting a personal best score,” said Maia Amano.
These four are members of the USA Gymnastics Senior National Team, so winning gold silver or bronze is nothing new to them.
Right now, they’re already eyeing the next competition, the Olympic Trials in Minneapolis starting on June 27.
“Normally on the equipment, we do 17 and a half hours,” said Paul Bretscher, “We normally go and work workout, doing weightlifting and strength and conditioning, probably 2 to 3 more times in the week.”
“A lot of my training and preparation since Peru going into nationals has been sort of focused on that mental block. I do three days a week in the morning and then every day, Monday through Friday in the evening. So in the mornings, I focus on just working my skills individually,” said Trinity Van Natta.
“I’m trying to get into a better mindset. I think the last Olympic trial, I kind of put too much pressure on myself and I was expecting a greater result. When that didn’t happen, you know, that hurt my feelings quite a bit. But, you know, luckily we had Peru the week after the last Olympic trials, and so it was a good rebound for me,” said Cody Geuselli.
For these athletes, qualifying for the 2024 Olympics is the mountaintop.
“That’s been my goal since I was probably 12 years old,” said Amano.
“I’ve been competing with the goal of going to the Olympics for probably my whole trampoline career,” said Bretscher.
“It’d be a culmination of all the sacrifices that I made for this sport. You know, I’ve moved twice already around the country for it to just, you know, train and try to compete at my best. So it would just be the icing on the cake,” added Gesuelli.
Minneapolis, MN
Woman gravely injured in shooting near Minneapolis homeless encampment
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Minneapolis, MN
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