ALGONA, IA – A 33-year-old Algona Police officer who died in the line of duty earlier in September is being remembered as a hero by local officials and members of his community, with the 10-year veteran’s final efforts to subdue a wanted suspected being highlighted as emblematic of how “he answered the call to serve.”
Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan K. Bayens confirmed the identity of Officer Kevin Cram as being the Algona officer who was fatally shot during an attempted arrest of a suspect on the evening of September 13th.
At around 8:00 p.m. on the night of the incident, Officer Cram was out on patrol when he attempted to arrest 43-year-old Kyle Ricke, who reportedly had an active warrant for harassment. However, during the attempted arrest, authorities say Ricke shot Officer Cram before fleeing the scene.
Officer Cram was rushed to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
A Blue Alert was put out following the shooting and just before midnight, Ricke was reportedly taken into custody near the Sleepy Eye area of Minnesota.
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office noted the suspect was taken into custody without incident and is being held at the Brown County Jail, with officials saying the suspect is now facing first-degree murder charges and will be extradited back to Iowa.
DPS Commissioner Bayens referred to the fallen officer as a “hero” in his final moments, telling reporters during a news conference on September 14th, “Algona police officer Kevin Cram died because he answered the call to serve…He chose to be a beacon of light…He was willing to stand in the gap between good and evil. Algona police officer Kevin Cram died a hero.”
Officer Cram began his law enforcement career with the Nora Springs Police Department back in 2013 before transitioning over to the Algona Police Department in 2015.
As for the suspect in custody, court records show the original harassment case that led to the fatal interaction with Officer Cram related to a woman who Ricke was allegedly badgering with repeated text messages and calls.
According to the court records, Ricke had contacted his ex-girlfriend repeatedly on August 23rd over a two-hour period, allegedly sending dozens of texts and placing several calls, leading to the woman contacting police.
Following the initial report made on August 23rd, the woman contacted police again on August 27th claiming that Ricke was badgering her once again with several text messages and emails. Come August 28th, Ricke was booked on third-degree harassment charges and bonded out of the Kossuth County Jail the following day.
Apparently, Ricke’s latest court appearance for the harassment charges occurred on the morning of the fatal shooting, where the now-accused murder had his harassment trial date set for November 4th.
Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan K. Bayens confirmed the identity of Officer Kevin Cram as being the Algona officer who was fatally shot during an attempted arrest of a suspect on the evening of September 13th.
At around 8:00 p.m. on the night of the incident, Officer Cram was out on patrol when he attempted to arrest 43-year-old Kyle Ricke, who reportedly had an active warrant for harassment. However, during the attempted arrest, authorities say Ricke shot Officer Cram before fleeing the scene.
Officer Cram was rushed to an area hospital where he was later pronounced deceased.
A Blue Alert was put out following the shooting and just before midnight, Ricke was reportedly taken into custody near the Sleepy Eye area of Minnesota.
The Brown County Sheriff’s Office noted the suspect was taken into custody without incident and is being held at the Brown County Jail, with officials saying the suspect is now facing first-degree murder charges and will be extradited back to Iowa.
DPS Commissioner Bayens referred to the fallen officer as a “hero” in his final moments, telling reporters during a news conference on September 14th, “Algona police officer Kevin Cram died because he answered the call to serve…He chose to be a beacon of light…He was willing to stand in the gap between good and evil. Algona police officer Kevin Cram died a hero.”
Officer Cram began his law enforcement career with the Nora Springs Police Department back in 2013 before transitioning over to the Algona Police Department in 2015.
As for the suspect in custody, court records show the original harassment case that led to the fatal interaction with Officer Cram related to a woman who Ricke was allegedly badgering with repeated text messages and calls.
According to the court records, Ricke had contacted his ex-girlfriend repeatedly on August 23rd over a two-hour period, allegedly sending dozens of texts and placing several calls, leading to the woman contacting police.
Following the initial report made on August 23rd, the woman contacted police again on August 27th claiming that Ricke was badgering her once again with several text messages and emails. Come August 28th, Ricke was booked on third-degree harassment charges and bonded out of the Kossuth County Jail the following day.
Apparently, Ricke’s latest court appearance for the harassment charges occurred on the morning of the fatal shooting, where the now-accused murder had his harassment trial date set for November 4th.
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