Fatal law enforcement shooting in Cass County came during foot chase

State investigators on Thursday said an exchange of gunfire that killed a man and injured a Cass County sheriff’s deputy in northern Minnesota earlier this week occurred during a foot chase.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) also identified the injured deputy as Kaleb Cherne, who was shot in the upper leg during Sunday’s incident and released from a Fargo hospital a day later.

The man killed in the shooting, James Weyaus, 37, was previously identified publicly by his foster father.

In a news release Thursday evening, the BCA offered limited details of Weyaus’ encounter with Cherne and another deputy, David Donner, who fired the shots that struck Weyaus. Body cameras captured “portions” of the incident, the agency said.

Deputies initially responded to a report of shots fired on the 8400 block of Old Agency Trail Northwest in Turtle Lake Township at 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Along the way, they passed Weyaus walking along County Road 13.

Weyaus ran from Cherne, who gave chase, and the two eventually exchanged gunshots, according to the BCA. As Donner responded to the foot chase and shooting, he saw Weyaus “emerge onto the roadway” and fired at him, the BCA release said.

Weyaus was pronounced dead at the scene.

Donner has six years of law enforcement experience and Cherne has three, the BCA said. Jim Stuart, executive director of the Minnesota Sheriffs’ Association, said earlier this week there was optimism Cherne would make a full recovery.

At a vigil for Weyaus on Wednesday, members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe identified him as an enrolled member. Faron Jackson Sr., the Leech Lake tribal chairman, said Weyaus was his foster son.

A close friend of Weyaus, Nakia Buck of Minneapolis, said Weyaus had been struggling with mental health issues.