Police: Cloquet hotel shooter had meth in system, no evidence he knew victims

Kilat Fitzgerald KSTP

Multiple police vehicles at the scene of a fatal shooting incident in Cloquet (Courtesy of WDIO)

Investigators say the man who fatally shot a Super 8 hotel employee and a guest in Cloquet doesn’t appear to have had any connection to either of the victims.

That man, 32-year-old Nicholas Elliot Lenius, of Ramsey, died by suicide during the incident on the evening of Jan. 9, according to police.

Officials say a toxicology report showed there was methamphetamine in Lenius’ blood and that this may have impaired him during the shooting.

Investigators say Lenius contacted a coworker and talked about dealing with “monsters.” Authorities also believe he may have been having a mental health episode while under the influence of drugs.

The hotel employee, 22-year-old Shellby Trettel, was shot near the front desk.

The other victim, 35-year-old Patrick Jeffrey Roers, of Deer River, was shot inside a vehicle that was parked in the hotel lot.

Both Lenius and Roers were guests at the motel, police say.

Responding authorities initially feared that an active shooter was present and advised locals to shelter in place.

The Cloquet Police Department said it “has analyzed all available information” about the shooting and will now send final investigative reports to the Carlton County Attorney’s Office for review.