Witness says man opened fire on officers in Fargo, North Dakota

FARGO, N.D. – Federal, state and local authorities responded to a shooting Friday in Fargo, North Dakota, that a witness described as a man opening fire on police.

Fargo police termed it a “critical incident,” but did not disclose any details or whether anyone had been shot. Within hours, a hospital reported receiving patients, and law enforcement agencies across the region posted sympathies for Fargo police on social media.

Sanford Medical Center Fargo spokesperson Paul Heinert said in an email that the hospital “did receive patients stemming from today’s shooting incident in Fargo.” He said updates on their conditions would come from the Fargo Police Department.

Surveillance video provided by Fargo resident Allison Carlson captured the rapid sounds of gunfire lasting just seconds.

Chenoa Peterson said she was driving by the area with her 22-year-old daughter when a man pulled out a gun and began firing at police.

“He proceeds to aim it and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like ‘Oh my God! He’s shooting!’” she told The Associated Press.

Peterson’s first instinct was to pull over and try to help, but her daughter convinced her to leave. “It’s weird knowing that if you were 10 seconds earlier you could have been in that,” she said.

Bo Thi was working alone at a nail salon near where police reported the shooting when she heard what sounded like fireworks or a motorcycle backfiring. She said gunshots didn’t cross her mind at the time.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation is working with federal, state and local law enforcement in response to a “shooting incident” but provided no details of what happened.

Police have said there is no known ongoing threat to the public.

Police said in social media updates that about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the incident, they were asking some residents to evacuate as they continued to investigate and gather evidence. They urged people to stay clear of the large law enforcement presence.

Police and other local agencies across the region posted their sympathies for Fargo police on Facebook.

“Thinking of our brothers and sisters in Fargo,” read a post from the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police.

“Please keep the blue lights shining to show our support of not only our local law enforcement, but also those affected by todays events!” read a post from the Glenwood Fire Department in Minnesota.

Police have said they planned to release more details later on the shooting.

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Associated Press writers Lisa Baumann and Alina Hartounian contributed to this story.

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