Minnesota store clerk killed after customer impaled him with golf club

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A beloved Minnesota store clerk was killed after being impaled through the abdomen with a golf club by a customer, police have said.

Robert Skafte, 66, was found dead behind the counter inside the Oak Grove Grocery store, in Minneapolis after officers responded to reports of a stabbing.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara told a press conference on Friday that the suspect had brought some items in the store to the counter before assaulting and bludgeoning Skafte “in a very grotesque way,” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Skafte was treated at the scene before being transported to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he later died.

A 44-year-old man, identified as the suspect, was later arrested at a nearby apartment.

Police negotiators took nearly six hours, with the assistance of a SWAT team, a drone and a bomb squad to arrest him. He was later taken into custody without incident.

A motive is yet to be identified, Mr O’Hara added. "We will do our best to try and make sense of this, but this is horrific and absolutely senseless," he said.

According to the Star Tribune, the suspect was already the subject of a person-in-crisis welfare check after calling 911 “wanting to speak to the FBI”. He had no prior criminal history but was civilly committed for mental illness in January 2021.

Locals expressed their shock and horror at the brutal attack, describing Skafte as “a great dude”.

Tony Gutoski, who knew Skafte, said he had found him partly on his knees and still conscious, despite having been impaled. Mr Gutoski told the Star Tribune that the club had pierced Skafte’s abdomen with the broken head lying on the ground nearby.

According to Mr Gutoski, Skafte told him that someone who "was in there earlier acting crazy came back and attacked him.”

"The only reason I knew what was going on is Robert was still conscious and talking when I found him," he told the Star Tribune.

“It just makes me angry.” Mr Gutoski added. “He was a great dude.”

A small memorial in honour of Skafte was set up on Saturday and visited by around 30 people. He was remembered as a talented dancer, who performed all across the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St Paul. His main company was Ballet of the Dolls.

Stephanie Fellner Grey, who danced with Skafte as members of the troupe, told the Star Tribune that he was “one of my dearest friends."

"I can’t even begin to wrap my head around the loss of our dear Robert. Our hearts ache and are broken, crying out to try and make any sense of this horror,” she said.

Another friend, Bill Holmes, said Skafte "cared deeply about his neighborhood and everyone in it — regardless of whether he knew you or not.”

"Throughout the darkest moments of police and community violence, the civil uprising and the pandemic, Robert remained a beacon of glowing community and stability at Oak Grove Grocery," Mr Holmes wrote on Facebook.

"He was there when I needed a soda, a social interaction, and someone to remind me of the power of goodness in the world. Though times were dark, the world was still good and Robert was living proof of that goodness with the most subtle yet powerful gestures."