MASON CITY – North Iowa law enforcement confirmed a shooting death early Monday morning in Mason City. The shooting may have been during an attempted traffic stop, on the city’s west side. The gunshot injury was self-inflicted, and NIT is told the male subject was from out of state.
After noon on Monday, Mason City police were able to release a narrative of what they say happened:
At 2:11 AM this morning, Mason city police officers were notified to watch for a possible intoxicated driver. Approximately 4 minutes later, a Mason City police officer spotted a vehicle traveling west on Highway 122 from Pierce Avenue.
The officer attempted to stop the vehicle and the driver refused to pull over. The officer followed the vehicle for approximately 3 minutes before the driver pulled over and stopped in the 400 block of South Eisenhower.
After the vehicle stopped, the officer saw that the male driver and only occupant of the car had a gun pointed to his own head. By this time, a Cerro Gordo County sheriff’s deputy had arrived to assist. The officers backed away from the car and shortly thereafter the driver fired a gun in the direction of one of the officers. About one minute later, the driver committed suicide with a handgun.
The incident is still under of investigation and the name of the man will not be released until his family is notified. No officers were injured.
The Mason city police Department was assisted by the Cerro Gordo County sheriff’s office and the Mason City fire department.
