RED LAKE, Minn. — A Red Lake Nation police officer who was fatally shot while responding to a call to a residence on the tribe’s reservation in northwestern Minnesota has been identified as a six-year veteran of the force.
Ryan Bialke, 37, was killed Tuesday after he went to a home on a report of a suicidal male with children possibly in the residence, according to the Red Lake Department of Public Safety.
The suspect opened fire on officers and Bialke was struck, DPS said in a statement. He was taken to Indian Health Service Hospital where he died, the tribe said.
The suspect fled into the surrounding woods and was taken into custody a short time later, according to the tribe.
According to DPS, Bialke was a six-year veteran of the Red Lake Police Department. He is survived by his wife and four children.
His ex-wife, Andrea Bialke, of Hanover, described her former husband as a happy and generous soul who lived to help others.
“Ryan had a big heart and he was always laughing and smiling, and he was a great dad to our three children,” she told the Star Tribune. “He just loved helping everybody.
“If there was someone on the side of the road that needed help with their vehicle, he would stop and help. He was just that kind of guy,” she said.
It was Ryan Bialke’s desire to help others that led him to police work, Andrea Bialke said. He graduated from Rasmussen College and the couple moved to Bemidji when he landed the job in Red Lake. He was not a member of the tribe, she said.
Bialke, who is identified on the Red Lake Nation website as a conservation enforcement officer, was one of 38 sworn law enforcement officers serving Red Lake.
The Red Lake Reservation is in northwest Minnesota, about 160 miles (257 kilometers) from the Canadian border. It covers about 1,260 square miles (3,263 square kilometers) and is home to about half of the tribe’s 14,000 members.
