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Officer, Man in Fatal Virginia, Minnesota, Police Shooting Identified

Investigators recovered a torch lighter at the scene as the officer who fired his department-issued weapon was placed on standard leave.

  • On Friday, May 1, Virginia Police Lt. Henry Trunk fatally shot 31-year-old Ethan Roy Basche during a police encounter in Virginia, Minnesota. The BCA identified both men on Thursday.
  • Authorities responded to reports of a man in a ski mask waving what appeared to be a handgun along Second Avenue West between Third and Fourth Street North shortly before 8:30 a.m.
  • Investigators recovered a torch lighter from the scene that was "consistent with the appearance of a firearm," the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension reported. Neighbors told the Star Tribune on Friday that Basche carried a lighter, not a gun.
  • Body-Worn cameras captured portions of the incident, and Trunk, a 10-year law enforcement veteran, is on critical incident leave while the BCA completes its investigation.
  • Once the investigation concludes, the BCA will submit findings to the St. Louis County Attorney's Office for charging review. Court records show Basche had five mental health commitment cases since 2020, with the most recent expiring in March.
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Duluth News TribuneDuluth News Tribune
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Man fatally shot by Virginia police had torch lighter, BCA says

VIRGINIA — Investigators recovered a torch lighter that was “consistent with the appearance of a firearm” from the scene of a fatal shooting by law enforcement last week, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said. The state agency on Thursday identified Ethan Roy Basche, 31, of Chisholm, as the man who was shot and killed by a member of the Virginia Police Department on Friday, May 1. Lt. Henry Trunk, a 10-year law enforcement veteran, …

·Cherokee County, United States
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KARE broke the news in Minneapolis, United States on Thursday, May 7, 2026.
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