A Minnesota grocery store clerk died after he was allegedly beaten and impaled with a golf club by a customer Friday, according to the Associated Press.
Authorities stated the 44-year-old suspect, who has not been identified, was jailed on suspicion of murder following a standoff with police, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. (RELATED: Bodies Of Five Students Found Stuffed In Car)
Minneapolis police responded to a call around 1 p.m. Friday after receiving reports that a stabbing had occurred inside the Oak Grove Grocery store, the outlet stated.
Upon arriving to the scene, authorities found the 66-year-old clerk, Robert Skafte, behind the counter with a golf club stabbing him through his torso, per the outlet. The suspect had reportedly gathered items within the store before heading up to the counter where he allegedly attacked Skafte, AP News reported.
Minnesota grocery store clerk dies after customer impales him with a golf club, police say https://t.co/d6SEDGuNGd
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“It appears he then went behind the counter and then began to assault and bludgeon the individual behind the counter in a very grotesque way,” Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara stated, according to the Star Tribune.
Skafte was then transported to the hospital where he later died, per the outlet. (RELATED: Police Charge Woman In North Carolina They Found Carrying Dead 3-Year-Old Son After Allegedly Beating Him To Death)
Authorities were then led by information from witnesses to an apartment building across the street, where the suspect had barricaded himself inside for six hours, according to AP News. Following negotiations, the suspect, who allegedly has a history of mental illness, was finally apprehended by authorities, according to the Star Tribune.
The investigation, according to authorities, is still ongoing
“We will do our best to try and make sense of this, but this is horrific and absolutely senseless,” O’Hara stated, the outlet reported.
Following the news of the incident, a memorial for Skafte was set up outside the store furnished with candles, flowers and a photo.
“We are broken; our hearts are broken,” Skafte’s neighbor, Gladys Torres, said.