Whitetail Woods Park Reopens After Man Found Dead: Police

ROSEMOUNT, MN — Whitetail Woods Park has fully reopened after being closed for roughly eight hours following a death, Dakota County Chief Deputy Joe Leko told Patch. The park reopened around 8 a.m. this morning, Leko said.

At 10:47 p.m. Thursday, the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office received a crisis call about a man with a gun. Upon arriving at the scene, police temporarily evacuated the campgrounds after a gunshot was heard, although Leko said that there was no reason to believe the man was a danger to anyone other than himself.

Personnel from the Dakota County Sheriff’s Office, the Washington County SWAT Team, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension spent several hours looking for the victim in the dead of night. Teams used drones, ATV’s, and utility vehicles before finally locating the man at 7:23 Friday morning.

Leko said the man was in his 20s, and not likely from Dakota County. Out of respect for the victim’s family, police usually do not issue press releases in such incidents, Leko said.

After police processed the scene, visitors returned to the cabin and the park was reopened, Leko said.