CLOQUET, Minn. 鈥� Three people are dead, including a man authorities believe to have shot the other two, at the Super 8 motel at 121 Big Lake Road near Minnesota Highway 33 in Cloquet.
According to a news release from the Cloquet Police Department, at about 6:30 p.m. a Super 8 employee called 911 and reported that another employee appeared to have been attacked.
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Police responded and found a 22-year-old woman with a gunshot wound. The woman was transported to St. Luke's hospital in Duluth, where she was pronounced dead.
As police investigated, they also found a 35-year-old man in a car in the hotel parking lot, dead from a gunshot wound.
Later, police found a 32-year-old man dead outside on hotel property. The man died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a firearm was located next to him.
The St. Louis County Sheriff's Department Response Team was called to assist.
Commander Wade Rasch of the St. Louis County Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Duluth News Tribune that authorities found three people dead from gunshot wounds.
The release stated there was no information regarding a motive for the shootings or if there was a connection between the suspect and either of the victims.
The area where the shooting occurred is heavily trafficked, with several restaurants, another hotel and two supermarkets nearby, and is flanked by residential developments and single-family homes.
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Police warned anyone in the vicinity to find a room with a lock if possible, stay away from windows, silence all electronics, and remain silent. The warning was lifted around 8:30 p.m.
Chris Korby was at work at Arby's in Cloquet, just across Highway 33 from the scene. When the alert came through, Korby said his supervisor told them to close the lobby but keep the drive-thru open.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little nerve-wracking definitely when your life is on the line and you don鈥檛 know who it is," he said. "So they could definitely walk in at any time or come to the drive-thru, you don鈥檛 know.鈥�
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