Man charged with murder of Red Lake police officer Ryan Bialke
Ryan Bialke, Facebook
A Red Lake man has been charged with murder after killing tribal police officer Ryan Bialke on Tuesday.
David Brian Donnell Jr., 28, was charged in federal court with second-degree murder and four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's office announced Wednesday.
The incident left Officer Bialke, a 6-year veteran of the Red Lake Police Department and a father of four children, fatally wounded.
According to the criminal complaint, officers with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department were called to Donnell’s property near Redby on Tuesday after his girlfriend called her mother and said that Donnell was suicidal.
When officers arrived at the scene, they asked Donnell, who also had an active tribal warrant at the time, to walk towards them, but he instead walked back into the house and wouldn't come back outside.
Because he had an active warrant and refused to come out, the officers decided to "breach the door" in an attempt to take him into custody. Bialke kicked the door in an attempt to enter, at which point "gunfire erupted" from inside the house.
Bialke was struck by bullets fired through the front door, with shots continuing to be fired at the other four officers on the scene.
One of the officers did return fire before they retreated into the woods to escape the shots. Bialke died on the scene of gunshot wounds.
After the incident, witnesses saw Donnell traveling on foot from the scene carrying a rifle. A short time later he went into a nearby house, where a woman took the gun off of him. Police were called, and while he was being arrested, Donnell said he was sorry.
He also told the woman who took the gun off him, "I f----- up."
Donnell admitted in an interview with law enforcement to shooting at the officers. After searching his residence, officers found several shell casings and bullet holes.
