A man killed his partner and their child at Brown Bear Childcare, a home-based daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, on Wednesday before taking his own life, according to Hopkins police. Six other children present at the time were not physically harmed and were reunited with their parents.
Man kills partner and daughter at Minnesota home daycare before fatally shooting himself, police say
A man killed his partner and their child at Brown Bear Childcare, a home-based daycare in Hopkins, Minnesota, on Wednesday before taking his own life, according to Hopkins police. Six other children present at the time were not physically harmed and were reunited with their parents.
Hopkins Police Chief Brent Johnson said another parent called police after witnessing the attack while dropping off a child at the daycare. According to PBS NewsHour, the attack took place in the home's basement.
According to PBS NewsHour, the man was 41 years old, the child who died was 7 years old, and he fatally shot himself after stabbing his partner and child. The AP reported that the police chief declined to specify how the victims died.
PBS NewsHour reported that the man fatally shot himself, while the AP did not specify the manner of the man's death.
According to PBS NewsHour, more than three hours after the killings in Hopkins, Burnsville Police Chief Matt Smith said officers were called to a home in Burnsville, approximately 20 miles from Hopkins, where they found a 78-year-old woman who had been fatally stabbed. Smith said investigators believe the two incidents are linked, and that the man had been living at that home. No names were released by authorities.
Johnson said no clear motive had been determined and that there was no history of police calls to the Hopkins address. He added that killings are a 'rarity' in Hopkins and that officers were visibly affected by the scene inside the home.
According to PBS NewsHour, state records show the daycare has been licensed since 2019 and has a capacity of 10 children, and it was found to be in compliance during inspections in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
According to PBS NewsHour, a neighbor named Amanda Marx, a nurse who lives across the street, said she was unaware the home was being used as a daycare and had never met its owners. She said she did not recall any prior disturbances at the address.
Where sources differ
- PBS NewsHour describes the victims as the man's 'wife' and 'daughter,' while the AP describes them as his 'partner' and 'child,' and notes the police chief said he did not know the exact relationship between the two adults.
- PBS NewsHour states the man fatally shot himself after stabbing his wife and child; the AP reports only that the man died by suicide without specifying method, noting the police chief declined to detail how the victims died.
- The identities of the man, his partner, their child, and the relative found in Burnsville have not been released by any source.
- No motive has been established by authorities.
- The precise timeline of events between the Hopkins and Burnsville incidents has not been determined.
- The exact relationship between the two adults who owned the daycare was not confirmed by police at the time of reporting.
- The condition or statements of the children who witnessed any part of the incident are not established.
- No response or comment from the daycare's licensing agency or state child-care regulators appears in any source.
- PBS NewsHour — original
- Associated Press — by Mark Vancleave
Read the original at PBS NewsHour