Fairmont police: Man sets fire, shoots officer, citizen

Police in southern Minnesota say a man set a house fire, then shot and wounded an officer and neighbor who responded, before killing himself.

Fairmont police say Officer Chad Sanow was the first responder to the house fire Tuesday night and was approached by neighbor Matthew Von Watermulen. The two went to the front of the house to see if anyone was in the home and were met by gunfire.

Authorities say Sanow was shot in the chest and Van Watermulen was hit in the abdomen. Police say both are hospitalized in stable condition.

Officers searched the property and found a man with a gunshot wound to the head. Investigators say the man shot the officer and neighbor and set the fire to ambush first responders. The gunman has not been identified.

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