UPDATE: Police presence in Blooming Prairie determined to be suicide during traffic stop

BLOOMING PRAIRIE, Minn. (KTTC) – A man is dead after a traffic stop in Blooming Prairie. Police say the man died by suicide during a traffic stop. It caused a heavy police presence in town Thursday night.

It happened around 6:30 p.m. on 3rd Avenue SE just south of Main Street.

According to Blooming Prairie Police, a police officer stopped a motorcycle for a taillight out. The driver immediately pulled over, pulled out a firearm and took his own life.

Police also said there was no physical or verbal communication with the officer, and the officer didn’t even have time to get out of the police car.

Police said the person was an adult male who was pronounced dead on the scene. Per protocol, an autopsy will be done.

There is no threat to the community.

If you or someone you know is in need of help, the Suicide and Crisis Hotline is always available. The number to call is 988.

Previous coverage of this story is below.

BLOOMING PRAIRIE, Minn. (KTTC) – KTTC is working to gather more information about a possible shooting in Blooming Prairie.

Information is limited at this hour, but according to the Steele County Times a shooting happened at roughly 6:30 p.m. Thursday near Main Street. The newspaper says it started as a traffic stop.

KTTC spoke with Steele County dispatch, and the employee we spoke with would not confirm or deny the shooting but said all officers were tied up. We have also reached out to the Steele County Sheriff and are waiting to hear back.

Once we hear more from law enforcement this story will be updated. This is a developing story.