NEW YORK MILLS, Minn. - One man is dead and another was in critical condition Thursday after a shooting late Wednesday near New York Mills, the Otter Tail County Sheriff's Office said.
Authorities received a call at 9:13 p.m. from a 21-year-old woman who reported gunshots at a location east of New York Mills on County Highway 56. Deputies and emergency medical personnel found two people with gunshot wounds, according to a release from the sheriff's office.
Twenty-year-old Ethan Honer, of Perham, was dead at the scene. Funeral home officials confirmed Honer's identity Thursday night.
The identities of the people involved have not been released by the Sheriff's Office.
A 23-year-old was transported first to Tri-County Health Care in Wadena, then airlifted to a hospital in St. Cloud, where he was in critical condition and on life support Thursday.
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A previous release from the sheriff's office said the 23-year-old was also dead, but an updated release sent out late Thursday morning said the sheriff's office had been misinformed.
The reports said one man shot another and then shot himself.
"Interviews of witnesses at the scene indicate the 23-year-old male shot the 20-year-old male, then shot himself," the releases said.
Administrative Lt. Matthew McGuire of the sheriff's office confirmed Thursday that the shooting was an apparent murder and attempted suicide.
McGuire said the sheriff's office had determined a possible motive: The 23-year-old shooter was the ex-boyfriend of a woman the 20-year-old was currently involved with.
"It's pretty clear what happened ... there was a common girlfriend, and the ex-boyfriend shot the current boyfriend," McGuire said.
Two witnesses saw the shooting, he said. He declined to comment on the relation of the witnesses to the two men.
McGuire also declined to comment on whether the shooter would be charged.
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Karvonen and Son Funeral Home in New York Mills is handling the funeral arrangements for Honer. Funeral mass will be at 10:30 a.m. on Monday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dent.
A visitation will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. on Sunday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church with parish prayers at 8 p.m.
Forum Reporter Wendy Reuer
contributed to this report.
