Jamestown Police Officers Put on Leave After Deadly Shooting Overnight

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (KVRR) — Early Tuesday morning, officers were called to Fred’s Den on a report of a man armed with a gun and a knife. Police ordered the man to put his weapons down but he refused. They shot the man and he was taken to Jamestown Regional Medical Center, where he was declared dead.

“Anytime there’s a loss of life it’s very traumatic and we’re just thankful that the officers were not injured along with community members during this very difficult incident,” said Justin Blinsky, Assistant Police Chief at Jamestown Police Department.

Fred’s Den is located in the downtown area of Jamestown. It’s described as a cozy bar with a relaxed atmosphere.

The bar owner’s niece explained that she felt comfortable leaving her vehicle in the parking lot behind the bar, but on Tuesday, her vehicle became a part of the investigation with blood smeared on its side.

“North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation has taken the lead in this investigation so they are facilitating in working through getting the evidence and doing interviews and processing the evidence,” said Blinsky.

David Castro, who lives nearby, described the scene in a personal message on social media:

“Seconds later another handful of gunshots rang out and they were a little louder, and you could feel it echo in your chest. I thought no there’s no way that’s just someone banging on the old dumpster and when I looked out my window I saw red and blues and one cop running and a lady crouched down a little bit also running the other direction.”

The officers involved were placed on standard paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.

The name of the man who was shot has not been released.