Volunteer firefighter and his girlfriend are shot dead by her ex, MN cops say

A man accused of killing his ex-girlfriend and her new partner was captured more than 300 miles away, according to Minnesota and Iowa authorities.

Randy Zimmerman used a shotgun Nov. 2 to kill 32-year-old Tabitha Trescott and 50-year-old Justin Reinarts, a volunteer firefighter, according to a criminal complaint obtained by KARE. They had both reportedly been shot in the head.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office said the victims were pronounced dead in Trescott’s home in Hanska, Minnesota.

“This was a bad one,” Hanska Fire Chief Mikale Gustafson told KEYC. “You know any homicides that involve a shotgun are never good and this was pretty bad... where two people that were basically just ambushed in the middle of the night in their bed.”

Zimmerman — Trescott’s ex-boyfriend — is accused of breaking into the home and waking up her 13-year-old son during the confrontation, KSTP reported, citing the complaint.

The boy heard a gunshot, and when he opened his bedroom door, he saw Zimmerman holding a long gun, deputies said, according to KSTP. Zimmerman reportedly told him to return to his room.

Deputies said the child later called 911, saying his mother had been shot by her ex.

But when investigators got to the home, Zimmerman had already fled, leading to a manhunt for the “armed and dangerous” man, according to the sheriff’s office.

Around 350 miles southeast from Brown County in Louisa County, Iowa, Zimmerman’s Toyota Camry had been spotted around 11 hours after the double shooting, authorities said.

Zimmerman, however, attempted to flee from the Iowa deputies, driving more than 100 mph, according to the sheriff. He also fired a shotgun blast toward the deputies but missed, the sheriff said.

Deputies executed a PIT maneuver, causing Zimmerman to crash his car, according to a news release. He then fled on foot, but investigators said he “was taken into custody by force.”

Zimmerman was charged with second-degree murder, according to Bring Me The News. Deputies said he was jailed on a $5 million cash bond.

The Hanska fire chief said Reinarts had been a volunteer firefighter since 2008, according to KARE.

“If you were ever to go to a fire scene, he was the one guy you for sure wanted there with you,” Gustafson told KARE. “He would do anything, give the shirt off his back for anybody.”

Trescott was described by a co-worker as an “animated character” who was “charismatic and full of energy.”

“I try to see the best in everyone and she was always very nice to me,” Lisa Domeier said in a Facebook post.