Dead of Winter

Experiencing January in minnesota is

Something I really kind of dread.

The darkness of the winter

And the cold bring back so many memories.

We had car chases, shoot-outs.

This guy is dangerous.

He's armed and doesn't care.

It was just nonstop crazy.

That was a wild ride.

He informed me not to do anything stupid.

He said, "or I will shoot you."

I was in it till the end.

they're just...

It's what my nightmares are made of.

I was 24 years old.

My world was very small.

My life was brian and katelyn.

Brian was a really good dad.

No matter what it was -- changing diapers,

Giving baths, feeding bottles --

He would do it all.

He was in love with every minute of it.

We were the happiest either of us had ever been in our lives.

Brian had gotten a job working for the police department.

That was quick. You got her down for a nap?

Yeah. Her first christmas really tuckered her out.

All I had to do was rock her, and she fell right asleep.

Well, you've got the magic touch.

He would ask me,

"what would happen if I got killed tonight?"

Hey. If I don't come back,

Promise me you'll wear black for a whole year.

Full black for a year. Got it.

I never took it seriously.

I really didn't think that something like that

Was gonna happen in a small town in minnesota.

One night changed all that.

It was so cold and so brutal outside.

Shh, it's okay.

It's okay.

Brian was working the late shift.

Where's your daddy?

He was gonna be home around 9:00.

He should be home by now.

I thought it was brian, that he had forgotten his keys.

I was relieved, like, "he's finally here."

And I go to the door, and I look through the peephole,

And it's not brian,

But I heard the police radio.

As a wife of a police officer,

This is every wife's worst nightmare.

I almost wish I could pause

Right before

'cause life was so good.

Mrs. Klinefelter?

Something has happened.

Brian's been shot.

I was just frozen.

No.

And then I asked them, "is he alive?"

And he just said, "we have to go."

I have an officer here to help take care of your baby.

You have to come with me now.

I went from the highest point in my life

To the lowest in an instant.

In '96, I was working at the high school.

I worked probably five or six hours a day there,

And then I'd work a couple nights at the liquor store,

And it was pretty dead for most of the night,

And then I heard this white pickup

Come through the parking lot.

Yippee!

Do it!

I thought, "some kids from school recognize my car,

And they think they can come in and get some liquor."

They all had ski masks on, so it was a cold night,

So I didn't think anything of it.

Open the till and give me the money.

There was a panic button right where I was standing.

But I'm thinking it's still some kids from school

Playing a trick on me.

Put that toy away before I rip that ski mask off your face

And call your parents.

He probably thought I was a dumb old lady.

Who would argue with a person with a gun?

Open the till and give me the money, or I'll shoot.

Then I think it hit me that, "holy crap.

This was for real."

Quicker!

Just -- just -- just --

There was a total, I believe,

Of about $380 from the whole day.

Just -- just take it. Don't hurt me.

- I need a bag. - What?

I said, "bag it."

This way.

Back room.

The guy with the gun says, "well, then go in the back room.

We'll put you in the cooler."

They won't find me till the morning.

I'll die there.

I told the guy I would not go in the cooler

Because I would freeze to death.

Go! He sounded agitated.

I was scared and shaking.

Okay, fine.

He said, "fine. Sit on these beer cases."

Tie her up. Hurry!

He said, "put your hands behind your back, and I'll tie you up."

I was in a state of shock.

Go.

Well, then they grabbed their stuff and left.

I do thank my lucky stars that I was not hurt.

I started wiggling my hands loose,

Rubbing them together, and...

...The rope fell off.

Then I went to the phone and called the police.

Dispatch alerts all available officers.

This is unit 2582.

I'm in close proximity, on my way.

Robbery is very unusual in stearns county.

I had never investigated one.

It was kind of a big deal.

I was the young officer, brand-new on the street,

So I was a little nervous but pretty excited to get going.

Brian was a brand-new, fresh officer

That was aggressive,

And I thought to myself, "boy.

He's gonna stop every pickup that comes through town."

While I was responding to the call,

I heard officer klinefelter on the radio

Advising that he was behind a white pickup.

Dispatch asked him for the plate of the vehicle.

Alls he replied back was that it was snow-covered.

Brian, buddy, be careful.

I was concerned that he was stopping the vehicle

Without a second car with him.

If these people were armed, that's not a scenario

Any one of us wants to be in,

So I said, "I'll be there in a minute."

Hey, brian. I'm on my way to back you up.

I was going probably 100-plus miles an hour

As I went through there.

As I was going westbound on 75, I could see brian's squad car.

I could see the lights flashing,

But the pickup was gone.

As soon as I got parallel to his vehicle,

I could see him down.

My god.

I got out of the car, and I ran up.

No, no, no, no, no.

It looked like he just landed flat on his back

And never moved from there.

Hold on, buddy. Okay? Hold on.

Brian had been shot several times,

And he was in bad, bad shape.

Stay with me. You're gonna be okay.

It's not that bad.

All of his gear was there.

His service weapon was just kind of laying in his hand.

The blood was dripping out of the wound in his head,

And it was literally freezing, you know, right next to him.

Hey, hey, stay with me. Stay awake.

It's something that I can picture today,

And I've -- you know, for 20-some years, it's...

I'll never forget it.

Unit 2582. Officer down. Repeat, officer down.

I need medical assistance now!

Just listen to my voice.

The ambulance came down, and the medics were jumping out

To get to brian as quickly as they could.

They started cpr immediately, just jumped right in.

They just kind of grabbed on to one side,

Started pulling him up to get the backboard underneath him,

And when they pulled, his head wasn't moving.

His head was frozen to the ground

In just that few minutes.

My god.

It was gruesome. It was tough.

It wasn't something I want anybody else

To have to ever deal with.

We got you, brian.

I just grabbed onto his head and helped ease it up.

We just put him right on our backboard,

Straight into the ambulance, and he was gone.

I should've said, "don't approach that vehicle."

I should've said, "I'll be there in a minute.

Just wait for me,"

But that's the guilt.

I wanted to catch and kill these guys.

The only thing I remember

About the drive to the hospital is the extreme cold.

It was so bitterly cold, but it was beautiful.

The stars were out.

Things take on a little bit of a shimmer when it's that cold,

And it was...A beautiful night

For something so tragic.

I felt brutally alone.

Officers around the county are looking out for a white pickup.

When this call came out, the suspect vehicle