Man shot in chest in Faribault Days Inn parking lot; suspect in custody, another sought

Police have arrested one suspect and are seeking another in a shooting Saturday morning in Faribault that left one person injured.

According to a Faribault Police Department news release, law enforcement officers responded to a shooting around 10:36 a.m. in the parking lot of the Days Inn at 1920 Cardinal Lane. When officers arrived at the scene, they found a 27-year-old man had been shot in the chest in an altercation.

The victim was airlifted to a hospital in the Twin Cities. His condition is unknown at this time.

Officers interviewed witnesses and determined there were two other men in their mid-20s involved in the incident, according to the release. Two firearms were also recovered at the scene.

"The fact that two firearms were recovered at the scene causes me to be grateful we did not have more people injured," said Faribault Police Chief Andy Bohlen.

A suspect was detained and admitted to shooting the victim, claiming self-defense, the release stated. He is being held on probable cause second-degree assault.

The other man involved in the shooting fled the scene on foot, but police were able to identify him based on descriptions from witnesses. He is described as a 27-year-old, 6-foot-3-inch, 160-pound black male with a shaved head, according to the release. He was wearing a plaid shirt or coat at the time of the shooting.

Multiple law enforcement agencies searched the area along Interstate 35 for the suspect, and the Minnesota State Patrol deployed K9 teams, drones with thermal imaging, field searches and an aerial search team.

Officers found a plaid shirt in a field in a nearby industrial park, although it's unclear whether it's related to the person involved in the shooting. An alert was sent out to businesses in the area to contact law enforcement if they see anyone suspicious in the area.