Police determine Cloquet shooter committed second-degree murder

Mar. 20—CLOQUET — The Cloquet Police Department determined that Nicholas Elliot Lenius committed second-degree murder with intent, although not premeditated, during the Jan. 8

shooting

that left three dead, including the shooter, at the Super 8 hotel.

Police determined Lenius, 32, of Ramsey, Minnesota, did not know or have contact with victims

Shellby Marie Trettel,

22, of Cloquet, and Patrick Jeffrey Roers, 35, of Deer River, Minnesota, before the incident.

Police believe Lenius may have been experiencing a mental health episode that was possibly compounded by being under the influence of methamphetamine. A toxicology report confirmed the drug was in his bloodstream at the time of his death, according to case files.

While conducting interviews during the investigation, police found that Lenius contacted a co-worker and referenced dealing with "monsters."

Police conducted interviews and analyzed cellphone data, crime scene evidence, video footage and toxicology reports.

During the investigation, officers spoke with Lenius' friend and supervisor, who said he received a Snapchat message from Lenius that said, "WTF is going on." Lenius' supervisor then called Lenius at 6:30 p.m., which matches the time frame of the phone call on the footage.

While on the phone with the supervisor, Lenius reportedly sounded panicked and did not make sense. The supervisor reportedly asked him if he was running because he was breathing so heavily, but Lenius didn't answer and instead "rambled." The supervisor said he could tell Lenius was "terrified."

Lenius had been sober for two years before relapsing over Christmas, his mother told police.

This was corroborated by the supervisor, who also believed that Lenius relapsed between Christmas and New Year's. During that time, Lenius had been "rambling" on Snapchat, the supervisor told police. The supervisor said that he and another friend were concerned about Lenius' well-being and confronted him about the Snapchat posts, to which Lenius admitted that he "screwed up."

Lenius' mother mentioned that he suffered from social anxiety and had to be hospitalized a few years before due to not sleeping and hallucinating from drug use.

She told police that she owned a pistol that Lenius carried with him while working in Cloquet.

According to the supervisor, he had been working in Cloquet for the past four or five months.

Ross Biebl, assistant director of public works for the city of Cloquet, told police that Lenius was the project lead for switching out water meters. Biebl told police that Lenius was the best installer they had.

Biebl told police there were no indicators of either drug use or hints that pointed to the events that transpired Jan. 8.

Lenius' mother told police that Lenius left home Jan. 7 and was due to return Jan. 11.

While reviewing the contents on Lenius' phone, police found messages that referred to homicides and a "homicidal rampage," though they did not appear to be sent in a serious context and did not contain any specific details.

Video footage shows Lenius entering an employee area of the Super 8 with what appeared to be a firearm in his hand. This was where Trettel was found by a hotel employee, who called police to report Trettel appeared to be attacked.

Footage shows Lenius attacking Roers, who was sitting in his vehicle, by firing several shots from a handgun.

There is also footage showing Lenius walking toward a snowbank, raising an apparent firearm to his head and shooting himself.

The investigation is now considered closed.

This story was updated at 10:44 a.m. March 20 with additional information from the investigation. It was originally posted at 4:08 p.m. March 19.