MINNEAPOLIS _ Three people are dead and a sheriff's deputy was wounded in shootings late Thursday at several locations in and near the city of Nevis, in northwestern Minnesota.
Hubbard County Sheriff Cory Aukes issued a statement Friday afternoon saying that the initial incident began shortly before 8 p.m., when dispatchers received a 911 call reporting a shooting outside a day care home in Nevis, located about 200 miles northwest of the Twin Cities.
When deputies arrived, they found the body of a woman outside the home. The shooter had fled the scene in the victim's vehicle before law enforcement arrived. A second victim, who had also been shot, was still inside of the vehicle.
During a 20-minute chase, the suspect fired at the pursuing vehicles, striking one of the deputies, authorities said. The pursuit continued and the suspect eventually put the vehicle into a ditch on County Road 119. A pursuing deputy found the suspect was outside of the vehicle and they both fired their weapons. The suspect got back into the vehicle, where he died.
Aukes provided no other detail on the shootings, including the motive for the initial shooting at Lori's Little Feet Daycare.
The wounded deputy was treated at a hospital in Fargo, N.D., and released, Aukes said Friday. He did not release the identities of those involved but planned a news conference for 3 p.m.
A source familiar with the investigation said the incident began as Bryce and Billie Bellomo were dropping off their three children at the home of their paternal grandmother, Lori Wambolt, who runs the day care. Two of Billie Bellomo's sisters pulled up in a car and Bryce Bellomo went outdoors. An argument ensued and shots were fired, the source said.
The body of Heidi Pierce, one of Billie Bellomo's sisters, was found outside in the driveway, the source said. Bryce Bellomo took off in the car with Candi Goochey, another of her sisters. Pierce, who recently got married, has four children. Goochey, who got divorced last year, has three.
Bryce Bellomo, 34, was found dead after the shootout with the sheriff's deputy.
Neither Lori Wambolt nor Billie Bellomo could be reached for comment Friday.
Bryce Bellomo well known in Nevis, a city of 400 residents. He was an award-winning taxidermist, volunteer firefighter, Boy Scout leader and baseball coach, the source said.
Court records show that he has a permit to carry a firearm and was known to do so. He was charged with misdemeanor domestic assault and interfering with a 911 call last March in an incident involving his wife.
According to court records, the couple had an argument and he forcibly took her cellphone and then drove her into the Paul Bunyan State Forest, where they got stuck. A SWAT team found them by pinging her cellphone and convinced Bryce Bellomo to walk out.
The charges were reduced to disorderly conduct and Bryce Bellomo was sentenced in August to 30 days in the Hubbard County Jail with 26 days suspended. He was placed on probation for a year. Billie Bellomo filed for divorce in September; the petition is pending.
The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was processing the crime scenes Friday morning, according to WDAY-TV in Fargo.
