NORTHWOOD, N.D. – A 15-year-old Grand Forks boy died of a gunshot wound to the chest Sunday evening in Northwood in an incident that a resident says has shaken the town.
Samantha Wilson, 32, of Northwood, is charged with murder and is being held in the Grand Forks County Correctional Center. She also is charged with contact by bodily fluids on an officer for allegedly spitting blood on at least one correctional officer.
The name of the victim was not officially released Monday. Grand Forks County Sheriff Andy Schneider said late Monday afternoon that family members still were being notified.
"It's a small town and you don't expect stuff like that in a small town," said Bernadette Braun, of Northwood. "It hurts, because I have grandchildren that age. It shook up the whole town. ... It's a shock."
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The Grand Forks County Sheriff's Department responded to the incident on the 200 block of Lander Avenue just after 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, in response to a call about a shooting inside the home. Upon arrival, authorities said lifesaving measures were taken; however, the victim did not survive, according to a release from the Sheriff’s Office.
He was pronounced dead on the scene.
An affidavit filed late Monday in the case states Wilson “utilized a 9mm pistol to fire at least one round which struck the male victim in the area of the chest/throat.”
The affidavit does not use the victim’s name, but identifies him by the initials “J.B.”
The affidavit also states that prior to the arrival at the correctional center, Wilson became “uncooperative and began banging her head on the windows and cage of a sheriff’s office patrol vehicle.”
When corrections personnel attempted to take custody of Wilson, she allegedly “intentionally spit blood on to at least one correctional officer.”
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The Sheriff's Office released few further details about the incident but did confirm Monday that the victim is from Grand Forks.
Schneider said authorities believe there were four people in the home at the time of the shooting and that the emergency call came from within the home.
Schneider said the relationship between Wilson and the victim had not been determined as of Monday afternoon.
The sheriff told the Herald that the case is complex.
“When you arrest somebody for murder it’s complex enough, but this one has other complexities that are taking extra time to sift through,” he said.
The Northwood Police Department, Northwood Ambulance and the North Dakota Highway Patrol assisted the Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office on scene. The North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation is assisting with the investigation.
The incident remains under investigation.
A search of Wilson's previous court records show three speeding violations between 2017 and 2019. Wilson’s initial court appearance is scheduled for Tuesday morning.
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