On March 26, 2026, at approximately 6:10 P.M., Austin Police Department officers were dispatched to the Kwik Trip located at 1401 4th Street NW in the City of Austin, County of Mower for a firearms complaint. Dispatch advised that a male had a firearm and tried to get into a vehicle. The male then left in a silver Chrysler 300 bearing MN license plate [PLATE REDACTED]. Officer Damien Schroeder arrived on scene and made contact with Victim A (a juvenile female) and Victim B (an adult female). Victim A was seated in the backseat of a Suburban and told Officer Schroeder that she and Victim B pulled up to the gas station, and Victim B went inside to prepay for gas.
Victim B returned to the vehicle and went to place the fuel nozzle into their car. Victim A was approached by a male wearing all black. The male, later identified as DINSON LEOPOLD, [DOB REDACTED], hereinafter the defendant, asked her if she could fuel up the vehicle for her. Victim A said “OK,” and got back into the back seat of the vehicle. Victim A said she then saw the defendant pull out a black or gray pistol and “rack” the slide back. Victim A said the defendant then came near the window, causing her to move back because she was afraid.
The defendant then looked around and grabbed the rear driver’s side handle. Victim B told Officer Schroeder that she pulled her vehicle up to the gas pumps, next to the silver Chrysler 300. Victim B observed a male, Witness 1, exit the Chrysler and walk inside Kwik Trip while the defendant walked up to her vehicle. Victim B saw the defendant walk up to Victim A and ask if he could put gas in their vehicle, and then Victim B briefly looked down as she didn’t think anything of it. Victim B said when she looked up into the driver’s side mirror, she observed the defendant with a black handgun in his hands.
Victim B also saw the defendant “racking” the firearm. Victim B said she immediately put her foot on the gas and drove out of the gas station with the nozzle still in her vehicle. Victim B said as she drove her vehicle away, she observed Witness 1 and the defendant return to the Chrysler 300 and then they drove away as well. Victim B said she was able to see the license plate and gave that information to dispatch. At approximately 6:27 P.M., Mower County Sheriff’s Deputy Kaleb Fish heard radio communications indicating the Austin Police were looking for a silver Chrysler 300. Deputy Fish was driving on 8th Avenue NE near 9th Street NE, and he looked south on 9th Street and observed a silver Chrysler 300 with a MN plate beginning with “EA.” He asked dispatch to repeat the identifying information and confirmed the description of the vehicle and the complete license plate number was that of the vehicle he had seen.
Deputy Fish turned around and located the Chrysler 300 parked on the west side of 9th Street NE. As he approached, he saw an adult male in a green sweatshirt, Witness 2, walking toward the Chrysler 300. Deputy Fish asked Witness 2 who owned the vehicle, and Witness 2 said he did not know but it was someone inside the residence the vehicle was parked in front of, which was in the 800 block of 9th Street NE. Mower County Sheriff’s Deputy Brady Reub arrived on scene, and 8 to 10 people exited the residence and began yelling at officers.
