Man received minor injuries, not hospitalized

 

By Molly Montag, Mason City Globe Gazette

MASON CITY — A man considered a witness to a double homicide in Mason City earlier this month was the person who called 911 and summoned investigators to the scene, police said Monday.

Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley said the man, who police aren’t identifying, witnessed at least part of the events Nov. 17 at 1620 N. Hampshire Ave.

Police said Peter Veal, 30, of Lake Mills, killed Mason City residents Mindy Kavars and Caleb Christensen, and also tried to kill the witness early that morning at the North Hampshire residence, which Christensen owned.

The witness — who police also consider a victim — had minor injuries that did not require hospitalization, Brinkley said. He wouldn’t say how the person was hurt.

After receiving the witness’s 911 call at 2:15 a.m., police arrested Veal about 15 minutes later after a short foot chase at 12th Street Northeast and North Carolina Avenue.

“The bulk of the scene is inside of the house,” Brinkley said. “Obviously we caught Peter Veal a short distance away, and we did retrace and try to collect anything of evidentiary value between the house and where he was located.”

An autopsy found Christensen, 37, had died of multiple sharp-force injuries. Kavars, 54, was shot once through the neck and chest.

Brinkley said Veal, Christensen, Kavars and the unnamed witness all knew each other. The alleged witness is cooperating with police.