Authorities Release Names in Fatal Western Minnesota Shooting

(KNSI) — Authorities have released the names of those involved in a violent string of events that ended with a fatal shooting in western Minnesota.

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office says around 1:00 Tuesday afternoon, 25-year-old Ameer Musa Matariyeh of Minneapolis allegedly fired shots into an apartment in Uptown after an argument with his ex-girlfriend. She lived in that building with her current boyfriend. They were not hurt.

Police established a line of communication with Matariyeh and spoke with him “for some time” before learning he had fled the building and was driving west out of the Twin Cities.

He turned up in Kandiyohi County, where he allegedly shot 25-year-old Peter Mayerchak at a house in a rural part of the county and then stole his car before speeding off.

Matariyeh then drove to the intersection of Highway 23 and Highway 71, where he attempted to carjack 55-year-old Jerome Skluzacek of New London. He allegedly shot Skluzacek in the head. Skluzacek was pronounced dead at the scene.

Matariyeh is facing numerous charges, including murder.

Sheriff Eric Tollefson and several deputies witnessed the final shooting. He issued a statement saying, “Please keep the victims and their families in your thoughts and prayers and respect their privacy during this difficult time. The deputies and other law enforcement officers that responded and apprehended the suspect risked their lives to protect their communities. These women and men are true heroes.”

___