ST. CLOUD, Minn., Oct. 18 (UPI) — A deputy was shot and killed Sunday in a Minnesota hospital by the man he was guarding, authorities said.
Deputy Steven Sandberg, 60, was coming to the end of his overnight shift at around 5:15 a.m.
Sandberg was guarding a suspect in room 527 of CentraCare’s St. Cloud Hospital, when the suspect got out of his bed and was somehow able to get Sandberg’s gun and shoot him.
Sandberg died in the emergency room shortly after. The deputy was a 24-year veteran of the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office and leaves behind a wife and daughter.
The shooter, Danny Leroy Hammond, 50, was in the hospital receiving care after a domestic dispute. He was not restrained to his bed. After hearing several shots, “security officers got into the room. [Hammond] was tased with a Taser and taken into custody,” Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said.
Shortly after Hammond was restrained, he went into cardiac arrest. Hospital staff were not able to revive him.
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton released a statement describing Sandberg’s death as a “terrible, senseless murder.”
“This tragedy reminds us that Minnesota’s law enforcement officers risk their lives every day and night to keep us safe,” Dayton said.
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