‘I shouldn’t be alive’: Woman escapes home during Hastings standoff, man charged with attempted murder

A Hastings man has been charged after threatening to kill a woman during an hours-long standoff earlier this week.

Martin Frederick Branshaw, 51, was charged on Thursday with one count of second-degree attempted murder and one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

Court documents note that deputies from the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in Ravenna Township around 12 p.m. on Tuesday for report of a domestic disturbance.

Law enforcement was told that Branshaw had a gun and was threatening to kill a woman inside the home.

The woman told 911 that she was barricaded in a second-floor bedroom and Branshaw was pounding on the door, trying to break in, the criminal complaint states. When deputies arrived, they used a ladder to rescue the woman through the window.

From inside the home, Branshaw told deputies he would shoot, which prompted the South Metro SWAT team to breach the house. They found Branshaw in the home with a self-inflicted cut to his neck, and he was brought to the hospital, where he is currently in custody.

After Branshaw is medically cleared, he will be brought to the Dakota County Jail.

According to court records, the Branshaw and the woman had been drinking alcohol the night before and gotten into an argument. The woman went upstairs to go to bed, but Branshaw screamed at her from the first floor.

The criminal complaint says that she fell asleep but was woken up when Branshaw unlocked a gun safe next to the bed, grabbed her by the hair and put the pistol to her temple. He then allegedly pulled the trigger, and the woman heard a click, but the gun didn’t fire.

The woman told authorities after the fact that, “I shouldn’t be alive… if he had one in the gun. I’d be dead.”

During the investigation, a loaded HK.45 caliber pistol and an additional magazine were found under a couch cushion in the home.

“I’m so grateful for the swift response of the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office and South Metro SWAT and their unwavering commitment to public safety as the outcome of this incident could have been so different,” said Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena.

Branshaw’s bail was set for $1 million with conditions, and the court also issued a domestic abuse no-contact order. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 12.

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