An Aitkin County investigator was shot and killed by an inmate at St. Cloud Hospital early Sunday morning, and the suspect later died.

The shooting happened around 5:15 a.m. Sunday. He had worked with the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office since 1991.

Hammond grabbed Sandberg’s gun during the struggle and shot him, Evans said.

The deputy, who is from outside the St. Cloud tri-county area, was monitoring the patient’s welfare, but it’s unclear why the patient was being hospitalized. That suspect later died. BCA Superintendent Drew Evans said Hammond had not been arrested and was not in handcuffs. Officials said the suspect “experienced a medical emergency” after he was Tasered.

The suspect also died, apparently from a medical condition, after security staff shot him with a Taser. Otto said the hospital had asked the sheriff’s office to send deputies to monitor Hammond because of the “seriousness” of the domestic incident, which happened sometime earlier in the week.

The St. Cloud Hospital is part of CentraCare Health, an integrated health care system that formed in 1995, according to its website. They would not say how long Hammond had been in the hospital except that it was more than a day. No hospital patients or personnel were injured.

The BCA said the incident was contained to Hammond’s hospital room.

“I deplore the bad, senseless murder of Deputy Sheriff Steven Sandberg”.