On February 21, 2026, at approximately 12:15 P.M., the Stearns County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call. The 911 caller, C. J. B. (adult female fully identified in police reports), stated that James Thomas Basore, [DOB REDACTED], hereinafter referred to as the defendant, had shot a male at a residence located on the 900 block of School Street, Belgrade, Stearns County, Minnesota. Law enforcement responded to the scene and located the Victim (adult male fully identified in police reports). Victim [NAME REDACTED] from multiple gunshot wounds, including injuries to his upper right shoulder and nose.
He was transported by ambulance to the Paynesville Hospital and then by helicopter to St. Cloud. He was eventually transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for further treatment. The victim stated the defendant shot him. The victim [NAME REDACTED] went to the defendant's residence with Witness A (juvenile female fully identified in police reports) to get a cigarette. He stated he knocked on the door, but no one answered. Victim then returned to the vehicle, where Witness A was waiting. A few minutes later, the defendant approached the passenger side of the vehicle, tapped on the window and began shooting at him.
There was a brief verbal exchange between the defendant and the victim, while the defendant continued to shoot. Witness A stated that she and the victim went to the defendant's residence to get a cigarette. Witness A said the victim [NAME REDACTED], but no one answered. Victim [NAME REDACTED], and she and the victim were joking around and wrestling over her phone to decide who would play music. Defendant approached and began firing through the passenger window. The victim [NAME REDACTED] in the upper right shoulder, once in the right arm below the shoulder, once on his left thumb, once on his left middle finger, and once through the bridge of his nose.
The bullet to Victim's nose went into his nasal pharynx cavity and into the back of his throat, likely causing him to swallow it. Law enforcement observed broken windows and a large amount of blood on the driver's side door and on the ground near the vehicle. A bloody shirt was also located in the snow near the vehicle. The defendant later contacted the Sheriff's Office dispatch center and expressed concern about going to jail and stated that he had placed the firearm on the kitchen table. The defendant came out of the residence and law enforcement took him into custody without incident.
Residual methamphetamine was located on the defendant's person. Defendant told police he thought the victim was raping his daughter (who was not present). Law enforcement spoke family members of the defendant, C. J. B. And R. T. B. (adult male fully identified in police reports). They indicated the defendant had issues with methamphetamine within the last year, but they thought he had been doing better. They indicated the defendant had recently believed someone was messing with his house. Law enforcement executed a search warrant at the defendant's home.
