No charges against officers in March shooting incident

Jamestown (CSi)  Two officers involved in the March 17, 2015 shooting incident in Southwest Jamestown, are back on the job.

Stutsman County State’s Attorney Fritz Fremgen released a memo he sent on April 12, 2015, to Jamestown Police Chief Scott Edinger, Stutsman County Sheriff Chad Kaiser and special agent Mark Nickel, with the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation, about the officer-involved shooting.

The Jamestown Police officer and Stutsman County Sheriff’s deputy fired their weapons into a vehicle allegedly driven by a Tracy, Minnesota, man, who had led police agencies on a chase through southwest Jamestown in the early morning hours of March 17^th

Fremgen wrote: “After considering whether any charges including attempted murder, aggravated assault, or reckless endangerment are warranted, I have determined no charge is warranted for either of those offenses or for any lesser offense.”

Fremgen did not name the Jamestown police officer and Stutsman County Sheriff’s deputy who fired their weapons.

The North Dakota BCI also conducted use of force investigations on the Jamestown police officer and the Stutsman County Sheriff’s deputy at the request of those agencies.

The North Dakota BCI investigated the incident involving 43 year old Lee Charles Ellingson, who allegedly led law enforcement officers from Jamestown Police and the Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office and North Dakota Highway Patrol on a chase that started at the Exxon convenience store at 808 20th St. Southewest in Jametown, and ended in the 1000 block of 4th Avenue Southwest, between the Jamestown Motel and Dairy Queen.

Witness accounts and information from law enforcement agencies, indicated that during the pursuit, Ellingson allegedly rammed law enforcement vehicles. When he stopped on 4th Avenue Southwest, Ellingson allegedly tried to run over a police officer. It was at this time that a Stutsman County Sheriff’s deputy and a Jamestown police officer fired their weapons into the vehicle Ellingson was driving.

Ellingson was transported by ambulance to Jamestown Regional Medical Center after the chase ended for treatment of injuries.

He was later flown by air ambulance to a medical facility in Fargo. Ellingson’s present medical condition is unknown.

Ellingson was charged with reckless endangerment, criminal mischief and driving while under the influence of liquor or any other drug or substance, all Class C felonies. He is also charged with fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, a Class A misdemeanor.

He is scheduled to appear at 1:15 p.m. May 20 in Southeast District Court in Jamestown. An unsecured bond was set at $100,000 on April 2, 2015.