COLD SPRING, Minn. — Even for those who didn't know him, the fatal ambush of a local police officer aroused tears Friday for residents of the small central Minnesota community where he was killed while trying to help a man believed to be suicidal.
Officer Tom Decker, a six-year veteran and father of four, had gone to check on a man's welfare when he was shot after getting out of his squad car near a downtown bar in Cold Spring on Thursday night. He died at the scene.
Investigators said Friday that the shooting was still being investigated, but that Decker was shot multiple times. The man who was reported to be suicidal was taken into custody.
"He was a policeman trying to help someone. He was called there to help and he went there and was shot doing his job," said Donna Knaus, a manager at Cold Spring Bakery not far from the crime scene. "It's horrible."
Knaus and many other residents of Cold Spring, a city of about 4,000 residents about 75 miles northwest of Minneapolis, became teary-eyed when asked about Decker. The officer grew up on a farm south of town, and after graduating from college, worked at several small Minnesota police departments before coming home for what he called his dream job.
Many people, including the mayor, said they were reminded of another local tragedy: a school shooting in 2003, when a student killed two others.
"It's another blow for us, and a lot of people woke up this morning in shock, and we're still in shock," Cold Spring Mayor Doug Schmitz said. "We're a strong community. We just bind together here. It's going to be a tough few days and weeks to come, but we'll make it."
The man taken into custody, 34-year-old Ryan Michael Larson of Cold Spring, was being held Friday on suspicion of second-degree murder. The county attorney's office was considering criminal charges.
Larson's relatives couldn't be reached or declined comment Friday. One said she wasn't sure whether Larson had an attorney.
Stearns County Sheriff John Sanner said his department got a call about
9 p.m. Thursday reportedly from Larson's family, saying he might be suicidal. Cold Spring police went to his home once and couldn't raise anyone, then returned almost two hours later.
It was during the second trip that Decker was shot. He was wearing a bulletproof vest.
"It's apparent to us the officer was ambushed at the scene," said Drew Evans, assistant superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.
Investigators wouldn't elaborate on why they believe the shooting was an ambush, saying only that the circumstances surrounding the shooting were still being investigated.
Residents, meanwhile, were focused on the officer's family. One woman who said she didn't know the officer left a flower bouquet for his family at City Hall, where a heart-shaped balloon and candle were also left. And a banner made at a local church was filled with dozens of colorful handprints cut out of construction paper and read: "We thank all of you for your service to our community."
Blocks surrounding the crime scene were cordoned off with police tape, and officers — some using dogs, others searching rooftops — canvassed the area on Friday.
Several guns were found, according to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, but the agency was searching for additional guns or weapons that may be related to Decker's death.
Brian Moen, who lives about a block from the bar, said officers who came to his door told him they were looking for a sawed-off shotgun.
Cold Springs Police Chief Phil Jones said Decker was the "department jokester" on a force with eight full-time officers. Decker served as the department's instructor on firearms and use of force.
"Not only did I have no problems with him, but he was the type of officer who accumulated six letters of appreciation and commendation in six years with us," Jones said.
Decker leaves behind a wife and four children from a previous marriage — two daughters, ages 8 and 7, and two sons, ages 6 and 5.
Joe Decker, his younger brother, told the Associated Press that Tom Decker loved to travel and be outdoors. Joe Decker said his brother was shy and reserved as a youngster but became outgoing and gregarious as an adult.
"He was one of those people who'd be the life of the party," Joe Decker said.
Police attention had been drawn before to Larson, a machine tool student at St. Cloud Technical and Community College, though mostly for traffic-related offenses but once in an abuse case.
In 2009, he reached a plea agreement to settle a misdemeanor disorderly conduct charge for engaging in behavior that could "arouse alarm, anger, or resentment in others." As part of the plea deal, he served a day in jail and agreed to undergo domestic abuse counseling. A no-contact order was issued. Court files indicated he violated his probation in 2010.
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