When the sirens start echoing off the granite walls of the local quarries, Waite Park feels a lot smaller than it actually is. People living in this Stearns County hub are used to the hum of Division Street traffic, not the sudden, sharp crack of a handgun. But lately, the phrase shooting in Waite Park MN has been popping up in local news feeds and neighborhood Facebook groups with a frequency that has folks looking over their shoulders.
It's heavy.
Honestly, if you've lived here a while, you know this isn't exactly a "dangerous" town in the traditional sense. It's the kind of place where you grab a coffee and head to the park. But the reality of 2025 and early 2026 has been a bit different. We’ve seen a string of incidents that range from tragic domestic situations to high-stakes police raids. To understand what's actually going on, you have to look past the scary headlines and look at the specifics.
The April 12 Tragedy on 10th Avenue
The most significant event in recent memory happened on a Saturday afternoon in April 2025. It was about 2:00 p.m. on the 200 block of 10th Avenue North. In a surreal twist of fate, Waite Park police officers were actually across the street on a completely unrelated call when they heard the shots.
Two kids, only 5 and 8 years old, came sprinting out of the house. They were physically unharmed, thank God, but they told the officers exactly what had happened inside.
When the police entered, they found 36-year-old Janet Vercruysse and 29-year-old De'Mico Elyea-Goss. Both were dead. The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office eventually confirmed it was a murder-suicide. Janet had been shot multiple times. Elyea-Goss, who was from St. Cloud, died from a self-inflicted wound.
This wasn't some random "shooting in Waite Park MN" involving gang violence or a public threat. It was a domestic horror story that left a family shattered and a neighborhood in shock. It's a reminder that sometimes the most dangerous situations are the ones happening behind closed doors, even in "safe" neighborhoods.
Rumors, ICE Agents, and the January Scares
Fast forward to January 2026. The vibe in town got weirdly tense. Rumors started flying on social media about an "officer-involved shooting" involving ICE agents.
On January 10, 2026, the Waite Park Police Department had to step in and clear the air. Chief Anthony Reznicek released a statement basically telling everyone to take a breath. They had investigated the claims—which alleged a shooting occurred on a Saturday morning—and found zero evidence that any shots were fired.
Why were people so jumpy?
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- Recent Events: A woman named Renee Good had been shot and killed during an immigration sweep in Minneapolis just days prior.
- Visibility: ICE activity had legitimately increased in Central Minnesota.
- St. Cloud Contacts: The City of St. Cloud confirmed that agents had spoken with a police sergeant in their patrol car that same morning.
Basically, the community was on a hair-trigger. When people see federal agents and hear a loud noise, they assume the worst. In this case, the "shooting" was a ghost—a product of high anxiety and the speed of social media.
The Machine Gun Discovery on 2nd Ave
While the ICE shooting was a myth, the search warrant executed on January 13, 2026, was very real.
The St. Cloud Police Community Response Team (CRT), with backup from Waite Park PD and SWAT, hit an apartment on the 300 block of 2nd Avenue South. They weren't just looking for a standard handgun. They found five firearms, one of which was stolen.
The kicker? They found a "switch."
If you aren't a gearhead, a switch is a small device that converts a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic machine gun. They arrested a 20-year-old man named Jairen Guillory. Finding that kind of hardware in a local apartment complex changes the conversation about public safety. It’s not just about the act of shooting; it’s about the potential for extreme violence that these illegal modifications bring into the community.
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Breaking Down the Crime Statistics
Is Waite Park safe? That depends on who you ask and which data set you're looking at.
If you look at some national databases, Waite Park occasionally gets flagged for high crime rates. But there's a massive "retail bias" in those numbers. Because Waite Park is a massive shopping hub—think Crossroads Mall and the surrounding strips—the "per capita" crime looks insane. You have a small permanent population but hundreds of thousands of visitors.
The Reality of Violent Crime:
Most "shootings" or violent reports here are concentrated in very specific scenarios. Domestic disputes, like the 10th Avenue incident, or targeted criminal activity, like the 2nd Ave weapons bust.
- Homicide Rate: Historically low, with almost all cases solved quickly.
- Police Presence: Very high. Because the tax base is bolstered by retail, the police department is well-funded and usually has a fast response time.
- The St. Cloud Factor: Waite Park and St. Cloud are essentially one continuous urban area. Crime doesn't stop at the border of 2nd Street. Often, a "shooting in Waite Park MN" involves individuals who live in St. Cloud or Sauk Rapids but happen to be in the Waite Park business district.
Practical Safety: What You Should Actually Do
If you’re a resident or someone visiting for the weekend, you don’t need to live in fear. But you should be smart.
The "switch" discovery and the April murder-suicide tell two different stories. One is about illegal arms trafficking, and the other is about domestic violence. If you hear what sounds like gunshots, don't go to the window to see what it is. It sounds simple, but curiosity is a killer.
Actionable Steps for Residents:
- Sign up for Stearns County Alerts: This is where the real info comes from, not the neighborhood "Karens" on Facebook.
- Report Illegal Mods: If you know someone bragging about "switches" or automatic converters, that's not just "tough talk." It’s a federal felony and a massive risk to the neighborhood.
- Domestic Resources: If you are in a situation like Janet Vercruysse’s, reach out to local advocates like Anna Marie’s Alliance in St. Cloud. They deal with the Stearns County legal system every day and can help with safety planning before things escalate to a 911 call.
Waite Park is a community that's growing and changing. While the headlines about shootings can be terrifying, the town remains a place where people look out for each other. Staying informed with verified facts—rather than social media panic—is the best way to keep it that way.
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Stay aware. Stay safe. And maybe check the source before you share that next "active shooter" post on your feed.