ALEXANDRIA, Minn. (AP) - Police have linked a burglary at an animal hospital to a North Dakota couple who died after a sheriff's deputy was shot in western Minnesota.

Alexandria police say evidence shows 24-year-old Devin Blowers and 29-year-old Katie Christopherson, both of Fargo, N.D., broke into the Douglas County Animal Hospital and stole veterinary medication.

The burglary was reported after Blowers and Christopherson were involved in a Feb. 24 shootout with a Douglas County deputy on a farm near Alexandria. Police linked items recovered at the shooting to the burglary.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says Blowers shot Deputy Dustin Alexander. Alexander was wearing a bullet-resistant vest and returned fire. Blowers and Christopherson fled in their car but got stuck in the snow and were later found dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

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