Sheriff: Deputy Hit With Shrapnel In Helicopter Shooting

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Officials in northwestern Minnesota say a sheriff's deputy was injured Monday morning by shrapnel in a shooting.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office says the deputy was in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter when gunfire struck the vehicle's cab, causing acrylic shrapnel to hit the deputy. Earlier in the day, dispatcher reports had suggested the deputy has been shot with a high-powered rifle.

The shooting happened around 10 a.m. in rural Fosston, near the border of the Polk and Clearwater counties.

The chopper was flying over a rural area of Clearwater County after being tipped off to some suspected drug activity.

Clearwater deputies quickly looked for a suspect and say they found 71-year-old Carstie Lee Caulsen of Clearbrook, Minnesota, hiding in the woods. He was taken into custody.

The deputy was treated at a hospital and released, the sheriff's office says.

The incident is being investigated on the local, state and federal levels.