Authorities say a suburban-Minneapolis teenager shot and killed two convenience store clerks in northern Iowa after the clerks handed over cash. The shootings took place within one hour of each other last night in Algona and Humboldt.
Kossuth County Attorney Todd Holmes spoke at a news conference this afternoon (Tuesday) in Algona. “It’s a sad day in both Kossuth County and Humboldt County,” Holmes said. The first shooting took place at the Crossroads gas station in Algona.
Holmes says 47-year-old Vicky Bowman-Hall was working behind the cash register when she was approached by a man wearing a ski mask who demanded cash and cigarettes. “She complied with the request and was shot. She died of her injuries at Kossuth Regional Health Center in Algona,” Holmes said. Bowman-Hall is survived by 11 children.
At approximately 10 p.m., the same suspect shot and killed 61-year-old Sheila Myers at a Kum and Go store in Humboldt. The suspect is identified as 17-year-old Michael Richard Swanson of Saint Louis Park, Minnesota. Holmes said Swanson was arrested at a McDonalds in Webster City shortly before midnight. He’s charged with two counts of first-degree murder and two counts of first-degree robbery.
Holmes said Swanson will be tried as an adult. An affidavit shows the money and cigarettes taken from the stores were found in Swanson’s vehicle, along with a handgun. The robbery in Algona was caught on video.
By Chuck Shockley, KLGA, Algona