Inset: Randy Zimmerman (Brown County Sheriff's Office). Background: The Minnesota home that Randy Zimmerman is accused of breaking into to shoot his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend (KARE/YouTube).
A Minnesota man allegedly broke into his ex-girlfriend's house while she was home with her new boyfriend and gunned them both down with a shotgun. The woman's child, who was at the residence during the shooting, called police and told them that her ex "shot his mom" and killed her, according to cops.
Randy Zimmerman, 45, allegedly fled from the Brown County home after the gun attack and traveled to Iowa, where he opened fire on a sheriff's deputy during a high-speed car chase. "He pulled a shotgun out of the window during the chase and fired one shot backwards at our deputy," Louisa County Sheriff Brandon Marquardt told Law&Crime on Monday.
Iowa cops arrested Zimmerman after they "pitted" his vehicle into a ditch and ran him down in a field, according to police. "He was chased … and tasered," Marquardt said.
Zimmerman, who has family ties to Iowa, drove to the state after shooting his ex-girlfriend, who has not been publicly identified, and her new boyfriend, retired firefighter Justin Reinert, on Sunday morning around 4:20 a.m., according to the Brown County Sheriff's Office.
"Brown County dispatch received a 911 call from a juvenile witness who stated that his mom's ex-boyfriend broke into their house and shot his mom," the sheriff's office says in a press release. "Upon law enforcement entering the house, it was determined that two victims, 50-year-old male victim and 32-year-old female victim, had both died from gunshot wounds."
Authorities found two spent shotgun shells in the upstairs bedroom where the couple was killed. They each died from gunshot wounds to the head. Multiple children were inside the residence, according to cops.
"I gave you a chance," the ex-girlfriend's son recalled Zimmerman saying to her right before allegedly opening fire, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Minnesota NBC affiliate KARE. The child said he was asleep and woke up to someone in the home yelling profanities. He allegedly went to investigate and was met by Zimmerman in the hallway outside his bedroom, who ordered him back into the room while pointing his shotgun at the boy.
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Police say Zimmerman fled in a 2013 Toyota Camry and spent 12 hours on the run before being apprehended in Louisa County, Iowa. A license plate recognition system located him in Washington County.
"Louisa County and Muscatine County Deputies intercepted the suspect being followed by a Washington County Deputy near X43 and Hwy 92," the Louisa County Sheriff's Office says in a press release provided to Law&Crime. "The suspect vehicle would take off at a high rate of speed before any stop was initiated."
Zimmerman was allegedly traveling at speeds "over 100 mph" when he opened fire on the Louisa County deputy, who was not hit.
Zimmerman was arrested on felony murder warrants from Minnesota and booked in the Louisa County Jail on a $5 million cash-only bond. He waived extradition and was awaiting transport back to Minnesota. He has previously been arrested for stalking, though it's unclear if the charge was related to his ex-girlfriend. He also has past convictions for domestic assault, assault, burglary and DWI. Iowa police plan to charge him for opening fire on a sheriff's deputy and evading arrest.
"We do plan on filing charges and will be asking for a warrant to be issued," Marquardt told Law&Crime.