The Ice is Out and The Robbery Suspect is Dead

     In Illinois’ Cook County it wouldn’t be a big deal to see a headline about a suspect being killed.  In Cook County Minnesota it is big news but I’m not sure if the ice being out on Sag ranks 1 above or 1 below the shooting?

     The news about the possibility of a fugitive being in Cook County spread faster than the Ham Lake wildfire.  People were locking their doors, taking their keys out of their cars and closely scrutinizing every white vehicle that drove by.  While Cook County is a big county the people are close-knit and nothing goes on without being detected by someone.  Once the word was out we knew it wouldn’t be long before someone would see the robbery suspect’s stolen vehicle. 

     A County Highway worker spotted the stolen vehicle and alerted the local Sheriff’s Department.  A pursuit followed, the suspect’s vehicle went into the ditch, shots were fired and the suspect was pronounced dead.  Those are the few details available at this time, but those few details are huge for Cook County and our small community. 

     It kind of reminds me of that saying, "Don’t Mess with Texas."  Only we could change it to, "Don’t Bring your Mess to Cook County."   It’s a tragedy but I’m very thankful our officers are ok and Cook County is safe once again.

Details in Cook Co. Chase, Shooting

Maplewood squad shooting suspect dead after chase

Published : Tuesday, 05 May 2009, 9:33 PM CDT

DULUTH, Minn. – Three Minnesota law enforcement agencies investigating the police pursuit and shooting that ended in the death of a suspect released more details on the incident Wednesday.

The Minnesota BCA and Cook County sheriff’s office released conflicting reports on the incident Tuesday, regarding the pursuit that ended in the death of Quincy Pederson.

Pederson, 38, had been wanted in the armed robbery of a North St. Paul sandwich shop and the shooting of a Maplewood squad car.

Tuesday afternoon, Cook County deputies began pursuing the suspect after a county highway department employee reported seeing a stolen vehicle believed to be driven by Pederson.

The pursuit ended when Pederson crashed around 2:30 p.m. on County Road 60 near Grand Marais. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, a brief confrontation took place, gunshots were fired and Pederson was pronounced dead.

The BCA confirmed a weapon was recovered from the scene of the shooting, but the cause and manner of Pederson’s death remain under investigation.

The BCA, Cook County sheriff’s office and Minnesota State Patrol released the named of the four officers involved in the incident:

Chief Deputy Leif Lunde (Cook Co.)
Deputy John Hughes (Cook Co.)
Deputy David Gilmore (Cook Co.)
Trooper Chris Thostenson (State Patrol)

All four officers are on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure.