Dispatcher To Receive Award For Handling Northfield Shooting Call

On the morning of Aug. 14, a woman called police to report shooting a Northfield home. The woman who picked up the phone on the other end was Lisa DeRaad.

DeRaad has worked as a public safety dispatcher for Northfield area authorities for 24 years.

"We don’t handle those types of calls regularly," DeRaad told SouthernMinn. "Have we had shootings? Absolutely, we have. Have they increased in volume? Yes. Things are getting worse, but it’s going to make me choked up because it was difficult,” DeRaad added while tearing up.

"In my career, it was the hardest one."

Initial information was that the shooting was related to an intruder in the home, but police say the shooting was not connected to any intruder.

At the scene, police say they discovered Marie Kirckof, 61, and the woman who initially reported the shooting to police, Phyllis Hall, age 75.

Kirckof was pronounced dead at the scene.

The dispatcher, DeRaad, received praise for how she handled the call, and will receive the Make a Difference Award from the Minnesota Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials on March 22.

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