The shocking news began spreading late Tuesday in St. Croix Falls, Wis., and by Wednesday it was all over the river town: Peter Kelly was dead, the victim of a stabbing after dark following an argument between anglers on opposite sides of the St. Croix.
Kelly, 34, died moments after he was stabbed about 9:45 p.m. Tuesday during a confrontation at Interstate Park with three young men with whom he and a friend had been trading increasingly heated words across the river while fishing for three hours.
It was hard enough to think that such a thing could happen in St. Croix Falls, but it was impossible to believe "it could happen to such a good human being," said Dan Clark, a lifelong friend who had coached him on the St. Croix Falls High School wrestling team.
"I've been trying to wrap my head around what would cause this to happen, but I can say with 150 percent certainty that it wasn't because of something that Pete did."
The Polk County Sheriff's Office asked the public's help in finding the three men, said to be in their late teens or early 20s and traveling in two vehicles with Minnesota plates: a blue Chevrolet S-10 pickup truck and a small to midsize passenger car.
A dog named Gunner, described as either a golden retriever or a yellow lab, was said to be in the pickup.
Authorities also were looking for five people in the area about 7:30 p.m. who may have seen the jousting that led to Kelly's death.
In the meantime, stunned residents of the town of 2,100, about 55 miles northeast of the Twin Cities, were mourning Kelly, "a great kid in the community" who had grown up there, was raising five young children and had contributed countless hours as a volunteer youth and high school coach in wrestling, football and baseball.
