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Inset: Randy Zimmerman (Brown County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The Minnesota home that Randy Zimmerman is accused of breaking into to shoot his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend (KARE/YouTube).
In Minnesota, a man is accused of breaking into his former partner’s home while she was there with her new partner and fatally shooting them with a shotgun. The woman’s child, present during the incident, contacted authorities, reporting that her ex had shot and killed his mother, as stated by the police.
Randy Zimmerman, age 45, is said to have fled the Brown County scene after the shooting, heading to Iowa. During a high-speed chase there, he reportedly fired at a sheriff’s deputy. Louisa County Sheriff Brandon Marquardt explained to Law&Crime on Monday, “He aimed a shotgun out the window and discharged a single shot at our deputy during the pursuit.”
Iowa law enforcement apprehended Zimmerman after using a maneuver to force his vehicle off the road and subsequently capturing him in a field. “He was pursued, tasered, and then detained,” Marquardt added.
Following the shooting of his ex-girlfriend, whose identity remains undisclosed, and her new partner, retired firefighter Justin Reinert, Zimmerman made his way to Iowa. This tragic event unfolded early Sunday morning, around 4:20 a.m., according to the Brown County Sheriff’s Office.
The sheriff’s office noted in a statement, “A juvenile witness called 911, reporting that his mother’s ex-boyfriend had broken into their home and shot his mother.” Upon police arrival, they discovered that the two victims, a 50-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman, had both succumbed to gunshot wounds.
Investigators recovered two spent shotgun shells in the bedroom where the crime occurred, confirming the couple died from head gunshot injuries. Several children were also present in the house at the time, authorities reported.
“I gave you a chance,” the ex-girlfriend’s son recalled Zimmerman saying to her right before allegedly opening fire, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Minnesota NBC affiliate KARE. The child said he was asleep and woke up to someone in the home yelling profanities. He allegedly went to investigate and was met by Zimmerman in the hallway outside his bedroom, who ordered him back into the room while pointing his shotgun at the boy.
Police say Zimmerman fled in a 2013 Toyota Camry and spent 12 hours on the run before being apprehended in Louisa County, Iowa. A license plate recognition system located him in Washington County.
“Louisa County and Muscatine County Deputies intercepted the suspect being followed by a Washington County Deputy near X43 and Hwy 92,” the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office says in a press release provided to Law&Crime. “The suspect vehicle would take off at a high rate of speed before any stop was initiated.”
Zimmerman was allegedly traveling at speeds “over 100 mph” when he opened fire on the Louisa County deputy, who was not hit.
Zimmerman was arrested on felony murder warrants from Minnesota and booked in the Louisa County Jail on a $5 million cash-only bond. He waived extradition and was awaiting transport back to Minnesota. He has previously been arrested for stalking, though it’s unclear if the charge was related to his ex-girlfriend. He also has past convictions for domestic assault, assault, burglary and DWI. Iowa police plan to charge him for opening fire on a sheriff’s deputy and evading arrest.
“We do plan on filing charges and will be asking for a warrant to be issued,” Marquardt told Law&Crime.