Victim in critical condition after shot in face; Austin hospital briefly locked down as precaution

The Mower County Sheriff said a shooting that left one woman in critical condition was no accident, according to witnesses.

Sheriff Terese Amazi said the woman, who she declined to identify, was struck once in the face after someone fired several shots with a rifle at a Lansing home Thursday afternoon.

Two suspects, who she also declined to identify, are in custody. Amazi said officers arrested the first suspect early in the afternoon at the Lansing home where the shooting happened, and the second came out of the house about an hour later and turned himself in.

Authorities learned about the alleged shooting at about 12:30 p.m. when Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin reported a patient with a gunshot wound. The victim was later airlifted to St. Marys Hospital in Rochester.

“They do expect that she will recover,” Amazi added.

As a precaution, authorities locked down the Austin hospital for about 35 minutes while they searched for the suspects. The Mower County Sheriff’s Department, Austin Police Department, Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and a local Special Incident Response Team all assisted in the arrest.

Both suspects are in the Mower County jail and awaiting formal charges in Mower County Court. Authorities did not say what may have prompted the alleged shooting.

Authorities also completed a search warrant on Thursday and will continue more searches for evidence, Amazi said. Thus far, authorities have found several items, but Amazi did not say what they were. Amazi would not give the address of the home, and she didn’t say what caliber the rifle was.