Deputy’s Killer Accused of Terrorizing Wife

ST. CLOUD (AP) –  A man who killed an Aitkin County Sheriff’s deputy over the weekend had been sought just a week earlier for allegedly terrorizing his wife.

A criminal complaint says Danny Leroy Hammond locked his wife inside and aimed a pistol at her after she said she was leaving him.

The complaint says he forced her to lie in bed with him as he pointed the pistol at her and himself. The gun fired and a bullet hit a television set. He eventually let his wife go, but Hammond was not found.

The Aikin County Sheriff’s Office says Hammond was found unresponsive last Monday in his home. Hammond was taken to St. Cloud Hospital by air ambulance, and was listed in critical condition, believed to be the result of an attempted suicide. As Hammond’s condition improved, on Thursday the Aitkin County Sheriff’s Office began monitoring him at the hospital.

Hammond was charged last week with counts including kidnapping, assault and terroristic threats. It wasn’t clear when he was arrested.

He was at St. Cloud Hospital early Sunday when he grabbed Deputy Steven Sandberg’s gun and killed him. Hammond died after being subdued by hospital security.