Standoff on Red Lake Indian Reservation Ends with Seven Arrested

RED LAKE INDIAN RESERVATION - A standoff on the Red Lake Indian Reservation in northwestern Minnesota that lasted almost 12 hours ended Friday evening with the arrest of five men and two women.

The standoff began shortly after 5:00 a.m. with shots being fired from a semiautomatic weapon into the air after tribal police arrived at a residence on the reservation. The tribal police responded to two phone calls citing a disturbance at the residence near Redby, Minnesota.

Tribal police made calls to several law enforcement agencies, including a SWAT team and the FBI.

There were no reports of injuries to law enforcement officers – though one law enforcement officer was hit in the vest with shrapnel.

Five suspects surrendered after being coaxed out by authorities, and the remaining two were apprehended only after a SWAT team fired tear gas into the residence, according to a news release from the Red Lake Tribal Police.

The standoff ended at about 3:30 p.m., according to officials. Names of the people involved and any pending charges will be released later, according to the release.

Red Lake Public Safety Director Bill Brunelle said it is yet to be determined whether the suspects fired at the officers intentionally or whether they were shooting randomly. It is also unclear whether any of the seven in custody were held in the house against their will, although it appeared all were in the house voluntarily, Brunelle said.

The suspects were not injured, he said. Weapons were recovered from the residence.

The Red Lake Indian Reservation was the scene of a shooting rampage that left 10 people dead, including the 16-year-old who took his own life.

Friday's incident remains under investigation. Tribal officials did not release any information late Friday.