Officers, subject identified in Willmar, Minnesota incident that left man dead, officer injured

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has identified the officers and subject involved in an incident in Willmar last Friday that left a man dead and a police officer seriously injured. 

The BCA identified the officers involved as Officer Nicole Wortham and Officer Noah Maschino. Wortham has been with the Willmar Police Department since 2017 and Maschino has been with the department since 2019. Both officers are on standard administrative leave. 

The Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office has identified the man who died during the incident as Jose Reyna Lozano, 38, of Willmar. 

According to the BCA, at 5:45 a.m., Willmar police officers responded a 911 call of a domestic incident at Lozano’s home on the 800 block of Mary Avenue Southeast. 

Wortham arrived first. She located Lozano in an upstairs bedroom where he was holding a knife and had a box cutter to his throat. When he ignored commands to drop the weapon, Wortham deployed her Taser, striking Lozano. At one point, Lozano cut his own throat. 

A struggle ensued, during which Lozano stabbed Wortham multiple times in the neck and shoulder. Wortham fired her gun, striking Loznao in the leg.  

When Maschino arrived, he found Lozano on the bedroom floor. Lozano was continuing to threaten himself and Wortham with the knife. 

Maschino tased Lozano and ultimately placed him in handcuffs. At one point, Lozano lost consciousness. 

Maschino and additional responding officers attempted life-saving measures on both Lozano and Wortham. Lozano was ultimately pronounced deceased at the scene. The medical examiner determined he died of suicide due to a sharp force injury to the neck. 

Wortham was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Willmar and then airlifted to St. Cloud Hospital. She was released on Saturday. 

A woman at the home also sustained a knife injury. She was treated at the hospital in Willmar and released. 

Portions of the incident were captured on body camera video. The BCA investigation is ongoing.