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By Alyssa Rupp —

On Feb. 18, at around 3:16 p.m., two male suspects tried to enter a home at 2013 Second Ave. N.  The Menomonie Police Department reacted quickly in response to a complaint they had received about the two men trying to enter the residence. According to police, the two were identified as Joshua Morrow and Lucas Franklin.

The incident originally stemmed from a nearby Super America gas station, where the two suspects came across two brothers, Melvin McGee and Nakiathan McGee. After a verbal altercation occurred at the gas station, Melvin and Nakiathan left and continued on to their residence. Morrow and Franklin then followed the McGees to their residence and tried to gain entry.

According to police, “upon Melvin McGee and Nakiathan McGee reaching their home, Melvin McGee ran inside to retrieve a weapon while his brother was outside with Morrow and Franklin.”

Outside, Nakiathan was verbally assaulted as Morrow and Franklin attempted to enter through McGee’s garage. As a result, an altercation broke out between the two groups.

“During the altercation, Melvin McGee produced a knife and stabbed Franklin in the abdomen,” said the Menomonie Police. Following the stabbing, the two men (Franklin and Morrow) abandoned the scene in a vehicle and continued to cause problems.

Not far away, the suspects got into an accident at 21st Street and Stout Road. After that, the police said, “Morrow fled on foot after the collision.  Franklin remained in the vehicle injured from his stab wound and was taken to Red Cedar Mayo for treatment.”

Morrow was eventually caught and is now in Dunn County Jail on a probation hold from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Menomonie Police have labeled this incident a hate-motivated crime because of the verbal altercation that consisted of racial slurs and assaults. The crime is still currently under investigation.

Assisting the Menomonie Police Department were the Dunn County Sheriff’s Office, Menomonie Fire and Rescue, Wisconsin State Patrol, and the Dunn County District Attorney’s Office.

If you or anyone you know may have information regarding this crime, please call the Menomonie Police Department at 715-232-1283, and ask to speak with an officer.

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