DULUTH
An armed-robbery suspect that authorities had been searching for in Minnesota's Cook County is dead after a brief standoff near Grand Marais on Tuesday afternoon.
Authorities had been looking for Quincy Adam Pederson, 38, who authorities suspect had robbed a Subway restaurant in North St. Paul and shot about 10 bullets at a police officer a week ago.
Pederson was shot about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, after a short police chase on Cook County Road 60 near Grand Marais and a brief standoff, a Minnesota Department of Public Safety news release Tuesday night indicated. He died at the scene.
Officers from the Cook County Sheriff's Office and the Minnesota State Patrol who were involved in the shooting are on paid administrative leave while the shooting is investigated by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which is standard procedure.
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Meanwhile, the family of Pederson is devastated by his death, said his aunt, Carol Murray of Grand Marais. Pederson had relatives in Grand Marais, where he owned acreage, Two Harbors, where he grew up, and in the Twin Cities, where he most recently lived.
Murray said although Pederson had been taking methamphetamines for some time, family members were stunned by the events of the last week, from the holdup to running from police.
"The family is shocked that he was desperate enough to hold up a Subway," she said. "That's really blown us away, and that he's run from the law."
Insisting he wasn't a "crook," she blamed his actions on his drug use.
"Up until this whole thing went down, he was a really well-liked young man," she said. "He had a lot of friends. He was the kind of guy who could talk to anyone about anything, a good-looking, handsome lad. Once you start in with meth, his drug of choice, it ruins your life and it ruined his."
She didn't think family had seen him during the last few days, when he was believed to be in Cook County.
"We were all just on pins and needles and prayed a lot," she said. "I think anytime something like this happens, you're kind of walking in a daze because you just can't hardly believe it."
She said Pederson, who never married and had no children, worked in forestry and lived with his girlfriend near Mahtomedi and with his father in St. Paul.
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The episode began about 10 p.m. April 29 when a Subway in North St. Paul was robbed, according to the Cook County Sheriff's Department. A Maplewood police officer attempted to stop a van driven by someone who resembled Pederson. Rather than stop, the driver fled and fired about 10 shots, hitting the squad three times. The van later was found. Police believe Pederson then stole a white Ford Expedition in St. Paul with a Minnesota DNR emblem on the door and license plate EN1887.
Pederson was possibly placed in Cook County Sunday evening when a deputy attempted to stop a white Ford Expedition, although it had different Minnesota plates. The driver fled and the deputy lost sight of the vehicle in the Caribou Lake area.
Tuesday's chase ended shortly after 2:30 p.m. when Pederson lost control of his vehicle. He was shot during a brief standoff and pronounced dead at the scene.
The Duluth News Tribune and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
