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4 arrested in connection to fatal shooting of Fargo teen

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4 arrested in connection to fatal shooting of Fargo teen


WEST FARGO — Police have arrested four men in connection to a shooting that

killed a teenage boy last week in south Fargo.

Marcus Brian Rexrode, 31, of Fargo, Fabian Edwin Scott, 19, of West Fargo and Marcus Pierre McCuin, 41, of Fargo were jailed on suspicion of murder, as well as other offenses, in the death of 16-year-old James Moore, Fargo police said Wednesday, May 31, during a news conference at City Hall.

A fourth man, Tommie Trent, 36, of Moorhead, is being held on a charge of conspiracy to deliver marijuana.

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It’s possible more people could be arrested and charged in connection to the fatal shooting, Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski said.

Fargo Police Chief David Zibolski holds a press conference Wednesday, May 31, 2023, regarding the May 22 fatal shooting of James Moore, 16.

Michael Vosburg/The Forum

“There’s other avenues yet that are going to be pursued as part of the investigation,” he said. “Those may be soon, and those may take some time to develop.”

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On May 22, police responded to the Twin Parks apartment complex, 4430 9th Ave. Circle S., for a report of shots fired. Officers discovered Moore’s body outside the complex with a handgun next to him, according to police.

Police said they have recovered a total of two guns in the investigation, though they declined to say which gun was used in the shooting. Investigators have provided few details in the case, saying that doing so could jeopardize the investigation.

On Wednesday, police said the shooting was the result of a drug robbery.

Police said multiple people were involved in an altercation before the shooting, but they fled the scene before officers arrived. It’s unclear how many people were involved.

Zibolski said police believe Rexrode pulled the trigger. But others like Scott and McCuin could face murder charges without killing someone, Fargo Police Capt. Bill Ahlfeldt said.

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“In the state of North Dakota, it is considered murder to actively take part in serious offenses, such as robbery, which result in the death of someone involved in the robbery,” Ahlfeldt said. “Individuals can be charged with murder without actually committing the act of killing the victim but taking part in the incident which led to it.”

Rexrode was arrested May 24 in Fargo. He’s also expected to face charges of conspiracy to deliver marijuana and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Officers arrested Scott on Tuesday night, May 30, on suspicion of murder and strong-arm robbery, according to West Fargo police. Scott was taken into custody near the 200 block of 9½ Avenue West in West Fargo.

It’s unclear when and where Trent and McCuin were arrested. McCuin is expected to face charges of conspiracy to commit robbery, being a felon in possession of a firearm and tampering with evidence.

Trent has been charged with conspiracy to deliver marijuana, but charges against Rexrode, McCuin and Scott had not been filed as of Wednesday. Court records did not list attorneys for any of the four men.

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Prosecutor Ryan Younggren said more charges will be filed soon. “This is a case that has a lot of facets to it, and there is still some investigation that is ongoing here,” Younggren said.

Zibolski said the Fargo Police Department has done “tremendous work” in the case.

“It’s kind of a message of encouragement to the community about the efforts that go on here, and also to those who may become involved or decide to be involved in violent crime that we will identify everyone that’s involved, and we will pursue them … in bringing all of those folks before the criminal justice system,” the chief said.

Moore’s family members attended Wednesday’s news conference, but declined to speak to news reporters.

A search of North Dakota and Minnesota court records did not show prior felony charges for Scott or Rexrode. A search of Pennsylvania court records showed Rexrode pleaded guilty in 2016 to felony aggravated assault.

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In 2010, McCuin was charged with attempted murder in Hennepin County, Minnesota, but that charge was dismissed after he pleaded guilty to first-degree assault. He was sentenced to 103 months in prison. Court documents detailing the case were not available on the Minnesota courts website.

Trent was involved in a 2021 fight inside the Bismarck Tavern in downtown Fargo that led to a shooting where he and three others were injured.

Brandon Grant is serving a 20-year prison sentence for the shooting behind the bar after a jury found him guilty on three counts of attempted murder and three counts of aggravated assault.

Court documents alleged Trent, Willie Earl Carr Jr. and John Clemons assaulted Grant in the bar. Staff broke up the fight, pushing Trent, Carr and Clemons out the back.

Prosecutors said Grant followed the three men, but Grant’s attorney argued he was confused and had no intention of confronting the three men.

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Once outside, Grant fired 13 shots at the men. Prosecutors called the shooting revenge, but Grant claimed he was acting in self-defense.

Clemons did not face criminal charges, but Trent and Carr pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

Trent only had to serve a day in jail, while Carr received almost a year of probation. The two men were slated to testify in Grant’s trial, but they didn’t show up for unknown reasons.





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North Dakota

National monument proposed for North Dakota Badlands, with tribes’ support

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National monument proposed for North Dakota Badlands, with tribes’ support


A coalition of conservation groups and Native American tribal citizens on Friday called on President Joe Biden to designate nearly 140,000 acres of rugged, scenic Badlands as North Dakota’s first national monument, a proposal several tribal nations say would preserve the area’s indigenous and cultural heritage.

The proposed Maah Daah Hey National Monument would encompass 11 noncontiguous, newly designated units totaling 139,729 acres (56,546 hectares) in the Little Missouri National Grassland. The proposed units would hug the popular recreation trail of the same name and neighbor Theodore Roosevelt National Park, named for the 26th president who ranched and roamed in the Badlands as a young man in the 1880s.

“When you tell the story of landscape, you have to tell the story of people,” said Michael Barthelemy, an enrolled member of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation and director of Native American studies at Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College. “You have to tell the story of the people that first inhabited those places and the symbiotic relationship between the people and the landscape, how the people worked to shape the land and how the land worked to shape the people.”

The U.S. Forest Service would manage the proposed monument. The National Park Service oversees many national monuments, which are similar to national parks and usually designated by the president to protect the landscape’s features.

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Supporters have traveled twice to Washington to meet with White House, Interior Department, Forest Service and Department of Agriculture officials. But the effort faces an uphill battle with less than two months remaining in Biden’s term and potential headwinds in President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration.

If unsuccessful, the group would turn to the Trump administration “because we believe this is a good idea regardless of who’s president,” Dakota Resource Council Executive Director Scott Skokos said.

Dozens if not hundreds of oil and natural gas wells dot the landscape where the proposed monument would span, according to the supporters’ map. But the proposed units have no oil and gas leases, private inholdings or surface occupancy, and no grazing leases would be removed, said North Dakota Wildlife Federation Executive Director John Bradley.

The proposal is supported by the MHA Nation, the Spirit Lake Tribe and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe through council resolutions.

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If created, the monument would help tribal citizens stay connected to their identity, said Democratic state Rep. Lisa Finley-DeVille, an MHA Nation enrolled member.

North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum is Trump’s pick to lead the Interior Department, which oversees the National Park Service. In a written statement, Burgum said: “North Dakota is proof that we can protect our precious parks, cultural heritage and natural resources AND responsibly develop our vast energy resources.”

North Dakota Sen. John Hoeven’s office said Friday was the first they had heard of the proposal, “but any effort that would make it harder for ranchers to operate and that could restrict multiple use, including energy development, is going to raise concerns with Senator Hoeven.”



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North Dakota

Two people hospitalized following domestic assault and shooting in Fargo, suspect dead

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Two people hospitalized following domestic assault and shooting in Fargo, suspect dead


FARGO — Two people were injured in a separate domestic aggravated assault and shooting Saturday, Nov. 23, and the suspect is dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Fargo Police Department said.

Fargo police were dispatched at 2:19 a.m. to a report of a domestic aggravated assault and shooting in the 5500 block of 36th Avenue South, a police department news release said.

When officers arrived, they learned the suspect had committed aggravated assault on a victim, chased that person into an occupied neighboring townhouse and fired shots into the unit.

Another person inside the townhouse was struck by gunfire, police said. Both victims were taken to a local hospital for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

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Officers found the suspect’s vehicle parked in the 800 block of 34th Street North by using a FLOCK camera system to identify a possible route of travel from the crime scene, the release said.

Police also used Red River Valley SWAT’s armored Bearcat vehicle to get close to the suspect’s vehicle to make contact with the driver, who was not responding to officers’ verbal commands to come out of the vehicle.

The regional drone team flew a drone to get a closer look inside the suspect’s vehicle. Officers found the suspect was dead from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the release said.

This investigation is still active and ongoing. No names were released by police on Saturday morning.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Red River Regional Dispatch at 701-451-7660 and request to speak with a shift commander. Anonymous tips can be submitted by texting keyword FARGOPD and the tip to 847411.

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North Dakota

Illinois State Gets 1st Win Over North Dakota, 35-13

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Illinois State Gets 1st Win Over North Dakota, 35-13


 

(AP) — Wenkers Wright ran for 118 yards and two touchdowns and No. 13 Illinois State knocked off North Dakota for the first time, 35-13 in the regular season finale for both teams Saturday.

The Redbirds are 9-2 (6-2 Missouri Valley Conference) and are looking to reach the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2019 and sixth time in Brock Spack’s 16 seasons as head coach.

Illinois State opened the game with some trickery. Eddie Kasper pulled up on a fleaflicker and launched a 30-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Loyd to cap a seven-play, 70-yard opening drive.

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Simon Romfo tied it on North Dakota’s only touchdown of the day, throwing 20 yards to Nate DeMontagnac.

Wright scored from the 10 to make it 14-7 after a quarter, and after C.J. Elrichs kicked a 20-yard field goal midway through the second to make it 14-10 at intermission, Wright powered in from the 18 and Mitch Bartol caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Rittenhouse to make it 28-10 after three.

Seth Glatz added a 13-yard touchdown run to make it 35-10 before Elrichs added a 37-yard field goal to get the Fighting Hawks on the board to set the final margin.

Rittenhouse finished 21 of 33 passing for 187 yards for Illinois State. Loyd caught eight passes for 121 yards.

Romfo completed 11 of 26 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown with an interception for North Dakota (5-7, 2-6).

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Illinois State faced North Dakota for just the fourth time and third time as Missouri Valley Conference opponents. The Redbirds lost the previous three meetings.



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