Man killed by trooper had fired at family's home
Investigators say the Iron Range man fatally shot by a state trooper in an exchange of gunfire had been shooting into a home where his estranged wife and two young children were living.
St. Louis County sheriff's officials identify the man as 66-year-old Donnie Joe Lira of Cherry Township.
Undersheriff Dave Phillips says Lira and his wife, Marie, had recently separated and she moved about a mile away. Phillips says Lira showed up at his wife's home Saturday night and fired shots at the front door. His wife and the two children, ages 1 and 4, weren't injured.
The Duluth News Tribune says the trooper tried to stop Lira's car after he left the house and drove south on Highway 25. Lira pulled into his driveway and exchanged gunfire with the trooper. Lira was killed. The trooper wasn't injured.
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Information from: Duluth News Tribune
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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