A sheriff's deputy was shot and killed inside a Minnesota hospital by a man who was a suspect in a "domestic-related incident" Sunday morning, authorities said.
Danny Hammond, was being monitored by Aitkin County Sheriff's Deputy Steven Sandberg at the request of St. Cloud Hospital, where he was being treated, when a "struggle" broke out at about 5:15 a.m. (6:15 a.m. ET), said Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Hammond grabbed Sandberg's gun during the struggle and shot him, Evans said.
Hospital security responded to the suspect's hospital room and electrically stunned him — he then became unresponsive and died after being taken into custody, Evans said.
The cause of Hammond's death is being investigated by the Ramsey County Medical Examiner.
The state Department of Public Safety said that the violence was confined to the one hospital room and that nobody else was injured.
St. Cloud Hospital staff had asked for a deputy to monitor Hammond because the the "seriousness" of the domestic incident he was allegedly involved in, hospital Vice President Kurt Otto said.
"We are proud of our staff who acted quickly, helping to avoid further tragedy," the hospital said in a statement.
Officials wouldn't say what Hammond, 50, was being treated for or when he was admitted.
Sandberg, 60, was married with a daughter and had been an investigator with the Aitkin County Sheriff's Department since 1991, Sheriff Scott Turner said.
