Suspect in Cannon Falls standoff identified, victim released from hospital
UPDATE 3/30/23: Authorities have identified the man involved in a standoff Wednesday in Cannon Falls.
Thursday afternoon, the Cannon Falls Police Department said 25-year-old Dean I. Anderson of Cannon Falls was found dead inside the home late Wednesday afternoon.
The incident was first reported shortly after 11:30 a.m. Wednesday for a report of a woman being shot at in a neighborhood. When officers arrived, they found the woman bleeding from the head in a yard located on the 300 block of North 1st Street.
Police identified the woman as a 26-year-old, saying she had been taken to a level one trauma center Wednesday with what was described as a non-life-threatening injury. She has since been released, officials said Thursday.
A perimeter involving multiple agencies was set up, and traffic on Highway 19 was detoured. In addition, police say schools in Cannon Falls were notified out of caution and began their no one in or out protocol. Nearly a dozen people – including nine children – were taken from a daycare that was within the perimeter and reunited with family members.
Law enforcement officers at the scene of an active situation in Cannon Falls on March 29, 2023. (Pafoua Yang/KSTP-TV)
Police added Anderson was known to be hostile to police, and learned he had previously said he wouldn’t go to jail.
A search warrant was then given for police to enter the home, and a robot and drone were deployed to search the home. That’s when police say Anderson was found with a gunshot wound to the head.
Police later removed multiple guns and controlled substances from the home.
Highway 19 was reopened at about 4:22 a.m. on Thursday.
Officials are continuing to investigate the incident.
[anvplayer video=”5170219″ station=”998122″]
UPDATE 3/29/23: Members of law enforcement involved in the standoff Wednesday found the suspect dead just after 5 p.m. inside his home, according to an updated release from the Cannon Falls Police Department.
Officers are now helping students out of schools after lifting the shelter-in-place order, the department said.
“The investigation of the incident is just beginning, and will take several hours to determine the details that lead to this shooting,” police wrote.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is assisting in the investigation.
There have not been any updates to the woman’s condition.
INITIAL REPORT 3/29/23: Law enforcement officers are at the scene of an active situation Wednesday afternoon in Cannon Falls.
5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has a crew at the scene, but Chopper 5 showed a large law enforcement presence in the general area of First and Hoffman streets — just a few blocks south of County Road 19 and east of Highway 52.
The Goodhue County Sheriff’s Office has issued a shelter-in-place warning for the area and is asking the public to avoid the area.
According to Cannon Falls police, a 26-year-old woman called 911 just after 11:30 a.m. and reported that she’d been shot. Officers responded and took her to safety, and she was then taken by ambulance to a hospital.
Police say, with help from multiple other agencies, they’ve established a perimeter around a home in the area and believe a 25-year-old man is inside the home. Officers are now trying to contact the man.
The department says officers don’t believe there is a threat to the public but they’re asking people nearby to stay inside and secure their homes until the suspect is found. Additionally, Cannon Falls Public Schools have been notified and aren’t currently allowing anyone in or out of buildings, police say.
This is a developing story. Stay with 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS for the latest updates on air and online.