Two tribal conservation officers from northern Minnesota have died this summer in separate incidents, adding to a spate of tragedy among game wardens that started with four unrelated deaths of officers at the Department of Natural Resources.
Red Lake Nation Conservation Officer Shannon Lee "Opie" Barron, 48, died July 7 of a heart attack after answering a poaching call at the end of his work shift. Eight days earlier, White Earth Conservation Officer Richard Ervin Fox Jr., 54, died in an off-duty motorcycle crash in Idaho while touring with his brother, Robert.
Minnesota DNR Enforcement Chief Rodmen Smith paid tribute to the fallen officers by sending the agency's honor guard to both funerals.
"Both men served with distinction to protect people and natural resources," Smith said. "That shared commitment binds us together as conservation law enforcement officers, and we mourn their passing and salute their service."
Officer Barron is a former Red Lake police officer who was born in Minneapolis and raised Up North by his aunt. He graduated from Red Lake High School in 1987 and worked the past 19 years as a Red Lake Nation conservation officer. He left a wife and two children.
According to the Red Lake Nation News, Barron radioed for emergency medical help for himself after clearing the poaching call. First-responders worked to save his life and rushed him to a hospital, where he died.
His obituary said he was an avid hunter, fisherman and trapper who tanned his own hides and donated his game to elders in need. "Opie was a very generous and kind man who loved helping others whenever he could," the obituary said. "He was quite the cook and enjoyed cooking for others … was very artistic, loved to tell jokes, was well known and a loved friend."
DNR Commissioner Sarah Strommen issued a statement of mourning and said Minnesota and Red Lake Nation share a common mission to protect natural resources. "Officer Barron's legacy of upholding that mission will never be forgotten," she said.
