Minnesota BCA investigating after North Dakota agent fires weapon during 'critical incident' in Fargo

FARGO — An agent with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation fired their weapon on Tuesday, Jan. 30, during the apprehension of a suspect in Fargo.

Law enforcement blocked off the alleyway between 14th and 15th streets south and 10th Avenue South after the Cass County Drug Task Force attempted to arrest a suspect on a felony warrant.

Multiple agencies were present on Tuesday afternoon, including the Fargo Police Department, Cass County Sheriff’s Office, North Dakota Highway Patrol and agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

At approximately 12:58 p.m., the task force — which is made up of officers from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Fargo and West Fargo police departments, North Dakota BCI and the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office — was involved in what officials called a “critical incident” during the arrest of the individual, according to Katie Ettish, spokesperson for the City of Fargo.

No Fargo police officers were involved, and no one was seriously injured during the shooting, Ettish reported.

No information about the names of the agent who fired their weapon or the suspect the task force apprehended was made available as of Tuesday evening.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is handling the investigation into the shooting because multiple agencies are involved within the task force, Ettish reported.

Bonney Bowman, spokesperson for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, confirmed that the North Dakota BCI asked the BCA’s Force Investigations Unit to investigate the shooting, but could not share more details pending the completion of a preliminary investigation, which could take a week.

According to a BCA timeline, the bureau has a stated goal of completing use-of-force investigations in two months. At that point, findings would be presented to county attorneys, who would determine whether to file charges against the officer involved.

C.S. Hagen is an award-winning journalist currently covering the education and activist beats mainly in North Dakota and Minnesota.