Holly MatkinMott, ND – A 34-year-old man died inside a southwestern North Dakota school late last week after he refused to leave the building and attacked a Hettinger County sheriff’s deputy, according to investigators.
The incident occurred at Mott-Regent Public School shortly before 3 p.m. on April 21, the Hettinger County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said in a press release the following day.
A HCSO deputy responded to the school after receiving a report of a disturbance taking place inside the building, and arrived to find 34-year-old Jeffrie Ray Glover refusing to leave the premises, the sheriff’s office said.
Friends of the suspect said Glover had gotten into a fight with his ex-wife’s new boyfriend inside the school after he learned the new boyfriend had been added to his child’s school contact list, the Grand Forks Herald reported.
Glover ignored the deputy’s requests to leave the school and ultimately assaulted the deputy as the situation escalated, according to the sheriff’s office’s press release.
Glover was killed during the ensuing “lethal force scenario,” the HCSO said.
The sheriff’s office did not specify how Glover died, but his friends told the Grand Forks Herald he was shot.
They said Glover’s youngest son witnessed the fatal shooting.
No staff or students were injured during the incident, the HCSO said in a Facebook post.
The sheriff’s office asked parents to pick their children up on the north side of the building near the playground in order to avoid the scene of the “active criminal investigation.”
“Please stay clear of the school for the time being,” the HCSO’s message read.
North Dakota man was fatally shot by a police officer inside Mott-Regent Public School (k-12) at 2:58pm on Thursday. He caused a disturbance inside the school and refused to leave.
No students or staff were injured.#schoolshooting #schoolsafety pic.twitter.com/gWxhcfMimr
— K-12 School Shooting Database (@K12ssdb) April 23, 2022
The North Dakota Office of the Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) is handling the ongoing investigation into the fatal encounter.
The HCSO said the BCI’s investigation is expected to be completed within the next 30 days and that those findings will be forwarded to the Hettinger County State’s Attorney.
“We will not make any further comment until the investigations of the Deputy’s actions are completed,” the HCSO said.
The deputy who was allegedly assaulted by Glover has been placed on administrative leave.
A total of 242 student are enrolled in the Mott-Regent School District, KXXV reported.
