A Cloquet man was shot and seriously injured early Friday outside a bar in Scanlon following a dispute possibly fueled by alcohol, authorities said.
Jeremiah Tyler Adamscheck, 24, was shot on River Gate Avenue after leaving the River Inn Bar and Grill, Cloquet police said. Police arrived at 3:08 a.m. and found Adamscheck with a gunshot wound to the pelvic area but conscious. He was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth, where he underwent surgery and was listed in serious condition Friday afternoon. As of late Friday evening, his condition was stable.
Adamscheck's family members gathered at the hospital, an aunt told the News Tribune. She declined to be quoted directly other than to describe the victim as "a nice boy" who had married last fall and who is the father of a young child.
Witnesses gave police a description of the suspects' vehicle, which allowed officers to stop the car and take two men into custody on the South Channel Bridge on state Highway 33 in Cloquet. A handgun and spent shell casing were found in the vehicle.
The men, ages 21 and 23, are being held at the Carlton County Law Enforcement Center with charges pending. Authorities said alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor in the shooting.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bar regulars who heard the news Friday expressed surprise.
"It's nice to come here, watch the river and drink a beer," said Jerry Hendrickson, who stopped by on Friday.
Investigators were on the scene outside the bar when daytime bartender Paul Borth arrived shortly before
11 a.m. Borth said he's never had problems during the two years he has worked at the bar.
"This kind of stuff doesn't happen," he said. "It could happen anywhere, but it's far from a common occurrence."
River Inn owner Donald R. Schow II said in his 10 years of ownership there have been no incidents with guns that he can remember. "We have the policy -- no guns -- and I'm sure there wasn't any gun in the bar," he said.
According to witnesses, words had been exchanged earlier in the evening among the men in the bar. Cloquet Deputy Police Chief Terry Hill said a fourth man was involved in the dispute but not in the shooting. Hill said he wasn't aware of any previous trouble involving the men. A check of court records showed convictions on a couple of misdemeanors apiece for the two suspects, as well as for Adamscheck.
Hill said Cloquet police have been called to the River Inn for loud noise complaints and assaults, but a crime of this magnitude is uncommon.
ADVERTISEMENT
News Tribune staff writer Lisa Baumann contributed to this report.
