Among those still stunned by the on-duty death of a Fargo police officer is his old high school football coach. Saint Michael-Albertville coach Jared Essler was in the Fargo-Moorhead area over the weekend when 23-year-old Jake Wallin was shot and killed.
"I've been kind of following the story just as kind of an interested community member, and then all of a sudden it really hit home when we knew there was not only a Fargo connection but a STMA connection," says Essler.
Essler told WCCO's Adam Carter that Jake was a joy to be around when he was a student and says he brought energy to the football field.
"Jake has always had a smile," Essler explained. "He was always contributing to discussions and just kind of a joy to be around. He brought energy to the field and to the classroom. Somebody who liked to joke around and always had a good one-liner for you. He was just a genuinely good person."
Wallin was 23-years old and on the police force for only three months when he died in a confrontation last Friday. A suspect began shooting on a busy street in Fargo, North Dakota. Wallin was killed and two others were critically injured.
Multiple witnesses said a man opened fire on police officers before other officers shot him. Shortly afterward, officers converged on a residential area about two miles away and evacuated residents while gathering what they said was evidence related to the shooting. The shooter was killed by police.
Funeral services are not complete at this time. Essler says just about everyone in the STMA community has been talking about the shooting.
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