BCA says Marshall officer fatally shot man as he stabbed woman to death

State investigators said Wednesday that a police officer in Marshall, Minn., fatally shot a man after he refused orders to drop a knife and continued to fatally stab a woman in her home.

Jamel C. Hill Moore, 41, of Marshall, was shot twice by the officer during the incident about 2:40 a.m. Sunday at 35-year-old Meredith Martell's home in the 500 block of Brussels Court, according to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA).

The BCA identified the officer who shot Hill Moore as Eric Klenken, who has 24 years of law enforcement experience. Klenken is on standard administrative leave as the investigation continues. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without a charging recommendation to the Lyon County Attorney's Office for review into whether the officer's actions were justified.

Court records in Hennepin County show that Hill Moore was sentenced seven months ago for violating a no-contact order. Judge Peter Cahill set aside a 21-month term, sent Hill Moore to the workhouse for 60 days and put him on supervised probation for three years.

According to the BCA's preliminary investigation:

Klenken responded to the home on reports of a domestic disturbance. When he arrived, a child flagged him down and directed him into the house.

Martell could be heard screaming for help in the upstairs bedroom. When Klenken entered the room, Hill Moore was on top of Martell, stabbing her as she lay on the closet floor.

Three additional Marshall police officers and a Lyon County sheriff's deputy arrived and assisted Klenken with providing medical aid to Hill Moore and Martell. Hill Moore died at the scene. Martell died Sunday night at a Sioux Falls hospital. Neither Klenken nor the children in the home were physically harmed.

BCA crime scene personnel recovered two knives at the scene.

Klenken was wearing his body camera at the time. BCA agents are reviewing the video as part of the active investigation.

Martell "was tragically and violently taken from us in the late night," her brother, Collin Martell, wrote in an online fund-raising campaign started to help the family with expenses related to her death.

Collin Martell noted that his sister leaves behind six children ages 3 to 18 and a 1-year-old grandson.