The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has released new information about Sunday afternoon’s shooting in Cass County that left one man dead and a deputy injured.
The sheriff’s office said deputies initially responded to a report of “shots fired” around 4:30 p.m. in Turtle Lake Township, about 14 miles south of Bemidji in rural Walker.
When they arrived, they encountered 37-year-old James Weyaus, of Onigum, walking along County Road 13.
Investigators say Weyaus ran. Cass County Deputy Kaleb Cherne gave chase, leading to an exchange of gunfire that left the deputy with a gunshot wound to the upper right thigh.
A second deputy arrived, David Donner, who saw Weyaus come out onto the roadway. Donner then fired at Weyaus, killing him. The sheriff’s office said “a 9mm handgun, a holster and multiple shell casings” were recovered at the scene.
Authorities announced on Monday that Cherne was released from a hospital in Fargo, North Dakota, and will make a full recovery.
Cherne and Donner, with respectively three and six years of law enforcement experience, are on standard critical incident leave as the investigation continues.
The sheriff’s office says body cameras recorded the deadly encounter, which the BCA is investigating.
Negrete says Nevaeh’s mother is a a fierce and relentless advocate, and the MMIR office stands beside her in the search for Nevaeh. This year, for the first time, the MMIR office is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading investigators to Nevaeh.
Navaeh Kingbird
WCCO
“This can’t be just an issue that is her family’s issue, this is a community issue,” said Negrete. “We’re hoping that this is the push that helps turn the corner in this investigation.”
The MMIR Office launched the reward program earlier this year and say more than a dozen cases involving missing and murdered indigenous Minnesotans are eligible, including Nevaeh’s. The 15-year-old is a member of the Red Lake Nation.
Earlier this year, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children released this age progression photo of what Nevaeh could look like now, years after her disappearance.
An age progression photo of Nevaeh Kingbird, age 19.
NCMEC
“Four years later, we’re still following up on leads. We actually just last week, did another search of a wooded area near where she was last seen,” said Detective Sergeant Dan Seaberg.
While Seaberg says that search was not successful, he says this is a case he’s constantly working on.
“We really are hoping to get some answers for the family to provide that peace, and to figure out what happened,” Seaberg said.
The detective, who has had the case for four years, thinks a tip from the public could be the help they need.
“It’s gonna take somebody knowing something and coming forward with that information, and then us being able to put the pieces of the puzzle together to determine what happened, and to find Nevaeh,” he said.
Seaberg says the police department was first alerted to Nevaeh’s disappearance in the early morning hours of Oct. 22, 2021. He says Nevaeh’s mother reported her daughter as a runaway. Later, Seaberg says, investigators found out she had been at a friend’s house, and left through a window. No one has had contact with her since and her missing persons case looking into her disappearance is active.
The Bemidji Police Department believe, at the time of her disappearance, she may have been wearing a red sweatshirt with a ‘bull’ logo, blue jeans, and black and red Nike sandals.
If you know anything about Nevaeh’s disappearance, please call the Bemidji police or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
A teenager is in custody after police say he confessed to threatening a school in Nevis, Minnesota, on Thursday.
According to the Hubbard County Sheriff’s Office, a report came in around 3:15 p.m. of a student who had threatened to bring a gun to school and start shooting. In addition, administrators told police the student directly threatened to shoot a particular student before turning the gun on himself.
School leaders and deputies interviewed students who witnessed the threats being made. After, deputies met with the accused student, as well as one of his parents, at their home. That’s where authorities say the student confessed to making the threats.
The teenager, identified as a 14-year-old boy by the sheriff’s office, was arrested and then brought to Northwestern Minnesota Juvenile Center in Bemidji.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress, get help from the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting 988. Trained crisis counselors are available 24 hours a day to talk about anything.
In addition, help is available from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, or NAMI. Call the NAMI Helpline at 800-950-6264 or text “HelpLine” to 62640. There are more than 600 local NAMI organizations and affiliates across the country, many of which offer free support and education programs.
