A Sheriff Deputy was Fatally Shot
A sheriff deputy was fatally shot on October 18th at St. Cloud Hospital. The suspect also died. The suspect was involved in a domestic violence incident and later was being treated at the hospital for undisclosed reasons. The hospital requested a sheriff deputy monitor the subject due to the serious nature of the charges he was facing. A warrant was outstanding for the suspects arrest for suspicion of kidnapping, assault, terroristic threats and other violent offenses.
The subject was not physically restrained in the hospital room and around 5:15 a.m. a struggle ensues and the suspect got ahold of the deputy’s weapon and fatally shot him. The deputy was identified as 60 year old Steven Sandberg.
Security officers rushed into the room and subdued the suspect with a taser. After the suspect was taken into custody, he became unresponsive and later died.
Understanding Murder Charges
First Degree Murder generally carries a life sentence if convicted. According to Minnesota law, someone commits the crime of first degree murder under the following circumstances:
· Premeditated murder with specific intent, or
· murder while committing certain, defined crimes, or
· murder of on-duty police officer or prison guard with specific intent, or
· extreme indifference causing death of a minor where past pattern of child abuse, or
· extreme indifference causing death of another where past pattern of domestic abuse
Second Degree murder carries a maximum sentence of forty years. Second degree murder can be charged under the following circumstances:
· Murder with specific intent, or
· Drive-by shooting felony murder, or
· Felony murder (no specific intent), or
· Murder of a person protected by a “no contact order,” “order for protection,” restraining order, etc.
Third Degree murder carries a maximum of twenty-five years. Third degree murder can be charged under the following circumstances:
- Engaging in an act that inevitably endangers human life, and a death resulted from the act.
St. Cloud Criminal Defense Attorney
No matter how serious of charges one is dealing with, the law grants the accused the right to counsel and the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. Ms. Gierman has handled a wide range of serious cases over her career and looks after her client’s interests. Reach out to Gierman Law for your free case evaluation.
