ALGONA – Tragedy has unfolded in Algona as a police officer was shot and killed Wednesday night and a fugitive suspect was caught in Minnesota and arrested on a charge of first-degree murder.
On September 13, 2023, at approximately 7:53 p.m, Officer Kevin Cram (pictured above), age 33, of the Algona Police Department was on patrol duty in the City of Algona when he was made aware of an active arrest warrant for Kyle Ricke. The arrest warrant was for harassment through Palo Alto County, Iowa. Officer Cram knew of a possible location for Ricke and headed to that area. Officer Cram was in the 1100 block of S. Minnesota Street in Algona when he observed Kyle Ricke, age 43. After advising Ricke he was going to be placed under arrest, Ricke shot Officer Cram. Officer Cram was located by other officers and EMS, and taken to the Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona where he was pronounced deceased.
Kyle Ricke was located and arrested near Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, at approximately 11:50 p.m. last night. He has been charged with Murder in the First Degree in Kossuth County, Iowa, and will be extradited at a later date.
An autopsy will be performed by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in the near future.
Officer Kevin Cram was a 10-year veteran of Iowa law enforcement, serving for the Nora Springs Police Department from 2013-2015 and the Algona Police Department from 2015-2023.
Please respect the privacy of Officer Cram’s family and the Algona Police Department during this difficult time. Officer Cram also served in Nora Springs, previously, as Floyd county authorities offered condolences.
“The Floyd County Sheriff’s Office offers our thoughts, prayers and condolences to the family of Officer Kevin Cram, Algona Police Department and our entire law enforcement family,” read a statement from the sheriff’s office. “Many of us worked closely with Kevin when he was a Nora Springs Police Officer from 2013-2015.”
