WALKER — A Walker police officer shot a knife-wielding man in a Dollar General on Friday, Aug. 8.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident, the Walker Police Department said in a news release. Officer Kent Cleveland was placed on critical incident leave, per standard procedure. His body camera was recording during the incident.
Cleveland and the man, 31-year-old Dillon Ray Kloehn of Fargo, were identified in court filings Monday.
The incident is the second officer-involved shooting in Northern Minnesota in less than a month. St. Louis County deputies shot and killed a reportedly armed man northeast of Duluth last month while responding to an arson.
Cleveland responded to a call of a person in boxers with a knife acting erratically, according to court filings.
Around the same time, a 911 caller reported a man with the same description carrying a knife in front of a business on Minnesota Avenue, a news release from the department stated, and callers also reported several vehicles with punctured tires.
Cleveland attempted to stop Kloehn, who fled and entered Dollar General.
Filings state that Kloehn threatened employees with the knife, before running to the back of the store after Cleveland arrived. The knife was eight inches long, including the handle and blade.
For several minutes, Kloehn allegedly sprayed bug spray and threw things at Cleveland and threatened to kill him.
Witnesses told law enforcement that Cleveland repeatedly told Kloehn to drop the knife and get on the ground.
Court filings said Cleveland backed out of the store until he could not back up further because there were people nearby. Kloehn charged him, and Cleveland shot him in the left arm, the news release said.
Kloehn fled the scene and attempted to break into a residence before being apprehended. Officers and North Ambulance provided medical aid. The department said the injury is thought to be non-life-threatening.
Kloehn was later taken to Sanford Hospital in Bemidji. He was booked into the Itasca County Jail Friday night.
The Cass County Sheriff's Office, Leech Lake Police Department, Pine River Police Department, Minnesota State Patrol and Hubbard County Sheriff's Office also responded to the incident.
Cleveland is a part-time patrol officer with the department, according to its website. He has decades of law enforcement experience, primarily in the Twin Cities.
He was named chief of the Pine River Police Department in August 2024. While still in a probationary period, the Pine River City Council voted to let him go, deciding "to go a different direction," the Pine and Lake Echo Journal reported.
Kloehn made his court first appearance Monday. He was charged with misdemeanor fleeing a peace officer and four felonies, including use of deadly force against a peace officer, assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted aggravated robbery.
His next appearance is August 25.
His bail was set at $400,000. The Star Tribune reports Kloehn, who is from Laporte, has an extensive, violent criminal history in the state.
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