Authorities investigate report of gunshots on Alexandria Golf Club course during girls golf meet

By Al Edenloff, Sam Stuve and Jared Rubado

April 30, 2025 at 6:24 PM

ALEXANDRIA 鈥� Law enforcement officers are investigating a report of gunshots that were heard at the Alexandria Golf Club Wednesday at about 2:15 p.m.

The Bemidji High 歪歪漫画 girls golf team was at AGC on Wednesday when the gunshots were reported.

Someone on the course said they could hear a bullet whiz over their head, according to police scanner chatter. No injuries have been reported.

鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 have known anything was going on if nobody had told me,鈥� BHS head coach Tina Offerdahl said. 鈥淭he situation was going on by holes one, two and three. I was out by hole seven. I had one player, Mali McLean, get pulled off the course. She was on the first hole at the time. She didn鈥檛 finish that hole.

"I got a text from Mali saying, 鈥榃e鈥檙e stuck on hole one right now.鈥欌€�

Golfers were told to take cover and were later moved into the clubhouse. A girls golf meet was taking place at the time the shots were heard and play was suspended. Along with Bemidji, teams from Alexandria, Brainerd, Detroit Lakes, Legacy Christian Academy, Minnewaska, Moorhead, Park Christian, Sartell-St. Stephen, the St. Cloud Crush, Wayzata, and Willmar competed in the meet.

All teams left the course safely around 3:15 p.m.

鈥淭here was a heavy police presence from all areas of law enforcement,鈥� Offerdahl said. 鈥淭here were sheriffs, there were police, there was a drone, and I saw it over on the seventh hole. It was a situation they took seriously and handled very well.鈥�

As of 3 p.m., officers were trying to determine where the gunshots were fired and used a drone in the investigation. There were reports that the gunshots came from the Country Club Heights neighborhood, but after canvassing the area and speaking with residents, those reports were unfounded, according to a news release issued by the Alexandria Police Department at 3:49 p.m.

Offerdahl said the situation didn't feel frantic, thanks to the efforts of the local first responders.

鈥淲hen I got back to the clubhouse, it was just weird,鈥� Offerdahl said. 鈥淣obody was really panicking, and that goes to show how well they handled the situation. Nobody needed to panic. We felt safe.鈥�

If anyone in the area has information about the gunshots, call the Alexandria Police Department at 320-763-6631.

By Al Edenloff

Al Edenloff is the editor of the twice-weekly Echo Press. He started his journalism career when he was in 10th grade, writing football and basketball stories for the Parkers Prairie Independent.