Twin Cities area man accused of calling in fake suicide to try to kill police in SW Minnesota
Courtesy of Redwood County Jail
An Edina man is accused of seemingly plotting to kill police officers in Redwood Falls in late August.
Christopher Mark Covert, 27, faces one count of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, attempted first-degree assault against a peace officer, attempted second-degree assault and using or possessing metal-penetrating bullets while committing a crime.
According to a criminal complaint filed in Redwood County against Covert, a man called 911 around 9:40 p.m. on Aug. 28 to report a suicide victim in Ramsey Park in Redwood Falls. The caller didn’t give any additional details and hung up. Dispatch called the number back but there was no answer.
A few seconds later, the same number called the county’s non-emergency line. When dispatch answered, there was no response on the other line, but dispatch could hear zippers opening and closing.
The call was mapped to the west side of the walking bridge near the Redwood Falls Hydroelectric Plant in the park. According to court documents, police searched several areas where the phone was showing up before eventually finding an empty vehicle registered to Covert. Inside the vehicle, officers found camping supplies, water, a bible, a crucifix, Narcan and notebooks.
Dispatch was then able to verify that a phone registered to Covert made the 911 call and the call to the non-emergency center. Officers kept searching and called Covert’s name but didn’t initially find him until they went back to the location of the initial 911 call and saw him running away.
As he was running, he dropped a black rifle case with a rifle stock sticking out of the unzipped bottom of the case, according to court documents. The rifle was secured by officers.
Covert ran to the bridge and climbed over the railing, but officers were able to pull him to safety.
Inside the rifle case, officers found an AR-15 with an upgraded barrel and trigger, red dot optic and flip-over magnifier. There was also a cell phone and a loaded magazine. One of the magazines contained green-tip ammunition, which was originally made for the military to penetrate steel and body armor, court documents state. In total, officers found around 300 rounds of ammunition in the case.
The next day, officers learned that Covert had “extensive” military training. They also executed a search warrant on his phone.
According to court documents, the day of the incident, Covert searched things such as, “Does God ever condone killing,” “Vengeance is mine saith the lord,” and “Luke 10 19.” Luke 10:19 reads, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
In the notes app of Covert’s phone, detectives found an entry from 2022 that states, “I’m for involuntary assisted suicide or murder,” and an entry from 2023 that reads, “The good days of being a murder when the forensic evidence did not exist.”
A few days before the incident, Covert sent a text message that reads, “There’s a time to kill but always call on Christ first,” according to court documents.
Other searches on his phone included, “There’s a time to kill,” “Is it ever just to commit suicide in the bible,” “Did Jesus die for the unforgivable sin” and “One Good Cop.” The complaint notes that “One Good Cop” is a movie in which an officer is killed in the line of duty during a standoff.
About a month before the incident, deputies conducted a traffic stop on Covert and he said he was visiting Ramsey Park.
On Sept. 1, officers spoke to a witness who said that after returning from a visit to Montana, Covert went to Edina and withdrew his life savings and gave her a check for $78,000. The witness said she believed Covert had some sort of plan due to the check but that he promised he would never take his own life.
Here is a list of suicide prevention and mental health resources:
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988
- Crisis Text Line – Text MN to 741741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.
- Minnesota Department of Human Service’s adult mental health resources
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) – Minnesota
- Veterans Crisis Line at 988, Option 1 or by texting 838255
- Minnesota Farm and Rural Mental Health Helpline at 833-600-2670 or by texting “FarmStress” to 898211
If you believe someone is at risk of suicide, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests you:
- Ask questions about whether the individual is having suicidal thoughts.
- Call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
- Seek help from a medical or mental health professional. If it is an emergency situation, take the person to a hospital.
- Remove any objects from a person’s home that could be potentially used in a suicide.
- Do not leave the person alone, if possible, until help is available.