Suspect in Stearns Co. slaying is shot by deputies

Stearns County deputies shot and wounded the suspect in a predawn slaying Sunday, capping a four-hour manhunt that had closed roads leading into the small community of Rockville.

The 28-year-old suspect, Marcus M. Barshaw of Walker, Minn., was in critical condition at St. Cloud Hospital before being transferred to a Twin Cities hospital Sunday night, where he was in custody for allegedly killing Jeffrey J. Schutz, 30, of Rockville.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office said police were called to Schutz's home in the 300 block of E. Broadway Street at about 4 a.m. on a report of a man with a gun. They were alerted while on their way that the gunman had shot a man and run away.

Officers found Schutz less than a half-mile away from his home, just off E. Broadway, at the intersection of Elm and E. Fourth Streets, where he died.

The suspect was spotted in the laundry room of a small apartment building on Elm Street, not far from where Schutz was found.

Officers said they surrounded the building and were entering when Barshaw, still armed, tried to leave through a back door.

"Verbal commands were given and the suspect was wounded by [gun]fire," according to a news release from the Stearns County Sheriff's Office. He was shot three times, according to the sheriff's report.

Barshaw was familiar with the neighborhood where the shooting occurred, according to a Facebook posting by a family friend.

The deputy who wounded Barshaw is a 6 1/2-year veteran of the department. He was placed on paid leave, as is standard in officer-involved shootings. His name was not released.

Rockville Mayor Jeff Hagen said authorities blocked entrances to the city from Hwy. 23 as they searched for the suspect.

Residents near the shooting scenes were told to stay in their homes.

Rockville, with a population of nearly 2,500, is about 80 miles northwest of the Twin Cities.