Sheriff: Deputy fatally shoots suspect who fired flare after pursuit in Clearwater County

Deputy shoots, kills suspect in Bagley

A man is dead after a failed attempt to take him into custody for a warrant caused a pursuit, and the man fired a flare at law enforcement Thursday afternoon in northern Minnesota.

According to the Clearwater County Sheriff’s Office, around 12:15 p.m., a deputy recognized a man wanted on a felony warrant while on patrol at the Cenex convenience store in Bagley, Minnesota, about 20 miles west of Bemidji.

The suspect resisted the deputy’s attempt to arrest him, got in his vehicle and drove off, prompting a pursuit, the sheriff’s office said.

Other deputies and Bagley officers joined the chase as the suspect drove east on Highway 2, at times crossing into the westbound lanes. Eventually, law enforcement was able to stop the man after he drove into a yard on McDougal Avenue Northwest.

Officers and deputies tried to get the man out of his vehicle, and the suspect fired a weapon at them that discharged a flare-type projectile, the sheriff’s office said.

A deputy then fired their gun at the suspect, hitting him. Despite life-saving measures being performed on the suspect, he died at the scene.

One deputy suffered a mild injury in the incident. The sheriff’s office said body cameras were worn and activated.

The name of the suspect and deputy involved in the shooting have not been released yet. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating this use-of-force incident.

BCA agents and crime scene personnel are on scene of a use-of-force incident in Bagley. More information will be made available after the preliminary investigation is complete.— Minnesota BCA (@MnDPS_BCA) November 13, 2025

The post Sheriff: Deputy fatally shoots suspect who fired flare after pursuit in Clearwater County first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.