BURNETTE RELEASED FROM JAIL AS LEGALLY REQUIRED (6-10-26)
In consultation with the Fosston Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, the Polk County Attorney’s Office has determined that a charging decision in this case needs to await the completion and submission of the complete investigation, including the final autopsy report. Agencies must act on charging and holding an individual based upon the constraints of the law, and since the investigation is not yet complete, Cory Burnette, Jr. was released as required by those constraints.
The investigation into this incident continues, and law enforcement does not believe that there is an ongoing threat to the public.
In order to protect the interests of everyone involved, further public comment will not be made until the investigation is completed and a charging decision is reached.
UPDATED PRESS RELEASE (6-9-26)
A man injured during a shooting incident on June 8 in Fosston has died. The Cass County (North Dakota) Coroner’s Office said that TeeJay Alvarez, 31, of Fosston, died this morning as a result of injuries from a gunshot wound.
The suspected shooter, Cory Burnette Jr., 22, of Fosston, was arrested without incident on Monday and is being held at the Northwest Regional Correctional Center in Crookston on probable cause for second-degree assault and discharge of a firearm. Formal charges are pending.
Law enforcement responded to an apartment complex on the 300 block of Mark Avenue in the city of Fosston around 3:20 p.m. Monday following a 911 call about a disturbance that may involve a gun. Officers learned that a man, now identified as Alvarez, had been shot inside one of the apartments and had been transported by a private party to Essentia Health-Fosston Hospital. Alvarez was then taken by air ambulance to Essentia Health in Fargo where he later died.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation. Additional information will be available in the criminal complaint.
ORIGINAL PRESS RELEASE
The Fosston Police Department is investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident on Monday afternoon that left one man seriously injured.
At approximately 3:20 p.m. on June 8, law enforcement responded to an apartment complex on the 300 block of Mark Avenue in the city of Fosston following a 911 call about a disturbance that may have involved a gun. When officers arrived, they learned that a man who had been shot inside one of the apartments had been transported by a private party to Essential Health-Fosston Hospital with serious injuries. The man was subsequently taken by air ambulance to Essentia Health in Fargo, where he continues to receive medical attention. His condition at this time is unknown.
Officers at the scene entered the apartment and located the suspected shooter. Cory Burnette Jr., 22, of Fosston, was arrested without incident and is being booked into the Northwest Regional Correctional Center in Crookston on probable cause for second-degree assault and discharge of a firearm.
No one else was injured during the incident. Investigators are interviewing witnesses as they work to determine the circumstances of the incident. Investigators do not believe there is any ongoing danger to the public.
This remains an active and ongoing investigation.
The Fosston Police Department is being assisted with its investigation by the Polk
County Sheriff’s Office, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota State Patrol.
