FARGO, N.D. — One police officer was killed and two others were critically injured in a shooting on a busy street in Fargo, North Dakota that also left the suspect dead, police said. A witness told The Associated Press that she saw a car crash and police standing around before gunfire broke out.
A civilian also was seriously wounded in the shooting that happened just before 3 p.m. Friday, police said in a late-night statement that provided no details about how the shooting unfolded or on a possible motive. Many witnesses said they saw a man open fire on officers before other officers shot him.
Chenoa Peterson told The Associated Press that she saw a car crash and police standing around as she was driving with her 22-year-old daughter. Then a man pulled out a gun and began firing at police: “He proceeds to aim it and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! He’s shooting!’”
Peterson’s first instinct was to pull over and try to help, but having her daughter there convinced her to leave. “It’s weird knowing that if you were 10 seconds earlier you could have been in that,” she said.
One woman said she was driving when she saw the officers fall.
“I saw the traffic stop and as soon as I drove, shots were fired and I saw the cops go down,” Shannon Nichole told KFGO Radio. “My airbag went off and the bullet went through my driver’s door.”
The Fargo Police Department said the investigation is ongoing. Authorities withheld the identities of the officers and the suspect pending notification of their families.
Fargo police plan to provide more details at a press conference at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, said Gregg Schildberger, the city’s chief communications officer.
“This is very difficult on all of us,” Schildberger said. “We appreciate all the messages from the community that have been given to us in support of our officers.”
By Saturday, flowers had been placed on the street boulevard where much of the investigation was focused a day earlier. An unused roll of gauze bandages also was on the ground, and a rear-ended vehicle was in a space in a parking lot.
Police initially said little about the shooting, calling it only a “critical incident” for nine hours. Early details emerged from witnesses, who said they saw the shooting or heard the sound of gunshots. Shortly after the shooting, officers converged on a residential area about 2 miles away and evacuated residents while gathering what they said was related evidence.
Surveillance video provided by Fargo resident Allison Carlson captured the rapid sounds of gunfire.
Bo Thi was working alone at a nail salon near the shooting scene when she heard what sounded like fireworks or a motorcycle backfiring. She said gunshots didn’t cross her mind at the time.
Police and other agencies across the region posted sympathies for Fargo police on Facebook. The Fargo Police Department’s Facebook page updated its profile picture to include an image of an officer’s badge with a black band around it.
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum said on Twitter he and his wife were praying for the officers and their families.
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