Update: Highway Reopens After Police Respond to Suicidal Man

FOLEY -- Benton County Sheriff's deputies closed a Highway for several hours on Sunday after responding to a call of a suicidal man.

Deputies responded to an address in Minden Township concerning a person in crisis threating to harm himself and others. At about 12:15 pm a man called to report his friend had made statements indicating that this friend was intending to harm himself or others. The caller believed that the person making these statements was inside a home in the 7300 block of Highway 95 northeast and had armed himself with a gun.

Benton County deputies and officers from the Sauk Rapids Police Department and Foley Police Department responded to the scene and established a perimeter around the house where the person in crisis was believed to be.

People in the area homes were advised of the crisis situation and asked to evacuate the area. Traffic on Highway 95 in front of the residence was detoured with the assistance of the Minnesota State Patrol.

The Stearns-Benton SERT team was activated and brought to the scene due to the threatened use of firearms. Crisis negotiators on the SERT team made extensive attempts to contact the person in crisis but were unsuccessful. After having exhausted all methods of attempting contact with the person in crisis, entry was made into the residence by the SERT team. The person in crisis was found dead inside the home.

Evidence found at the scene indicated that the victim died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The exact cause and manner of the victim’s death will be determined by the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office.

After ensuring that there were no other threats to the public, area residents were allowed back into their homes and Highway 95 was again opened to traffic.

The name of the victim is being withheld at this time to allow the family to contact next of kin.

The St. Cloud Police Department and Stearns County Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office at this scene.