Minnesota Salesman , Father of 3 Shot His Older Brother Inside Elbow Lake Home, Police Say

Connor Grytdahl is a 30-year-old salesman from Elbow Lake, Minnesota, who is accused of shooting his older brother Stephen Grytdahl to death.

Grant County Sheriff Jon Combs wrote in a news release that the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office “has identified the Elbow Lake man who was killed on Sunday, February 18, 2024, as Stephen Erik Grytdahl, DOB: 02/15/1991.”

In addition, “the suspect, Stephen’s brother, Connor Bruce Grytdahl, DOB: 05/12/1993 was arrested and booked into the Wilkin County Jail for 2nd Degree Unintentional Murder,” Combs wrote. Connor faces up to 40 years in prison, according to Bemidji Pioneer.

The newspaper reported that Stephen Grytdahl died of a gunshot wound to the chest; bail was set at $1 million for Connor Grytdahl.

Here’s what you need to know:

Connor Grytdahl Reported That Stephen Was Drinking in Violation of Probation, Reports Say

Facebook (Connor Grytdahl)Connor Grytdahl.

According to the Echo Press, court documents revealed that Grant County Sheriff’s deputies “went to the home twice on Sunday night, each time at the request of Connor Grytdahl.”

He reported to police that Stephen was drinking in violation of his probation for OWI, Echo Press reported. However, when deputies tried calling Stephen’s probation officer after confirming he was drinking, no one answered, the newspaper reported, adding that authorities told the brothers to “separate for the night.”

That was the night of the shooting death.

The Echo Press reported that Connor painted the shooting as self-defense, telling police that Stephen Grytdahl “came at him aggressively, and the brothers started shoving each other.”

However, crime scene technicians did not believe there were signs of a struggle, and “the shell casing from the shot was not found where it should have been,” Echo Press reported.

Valley News Live reported that Connor told police he “grabbed his handgun and loaded it” after police left, and that Stephen “came out of his bedroom and the two started arguing again.”

This resulted in pushing and shoving and he said he was “retreating down the hallway” when he shot his brother, Valley News Live reported.

Connor told authorities he was “aware that the shot would kill his brother,” Valley News Live reported.

According to Echo Press, after the shooting, Connor called the police and said he was doing CPR.

Minnesota court records also show that Connor Grytdahl was previously convicted of OWI in 2013. Stephen Grytdahl was convicted of third-degree OWI in 2023, according to online court records.

Connor Grytdahl Posted a Picture on Facebook With His Brother Stephen

Facebook (Connor Grytdahl)Connor Grytdahl.

On Facebook, Connor Grytdahl wrote that he worked “Inside Sales at Hydradyne LLC” and “studied Fluid Power at Minnesota West Community and Technical College.”

He lives in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, and is from Collierville, Tennessee, the page says. On Facebook, Connor Grytdahl shared photos of two daughters. “Me and the bros,” Connor wrote with one Facebook photo.

A man wrote in the comment thread of that photo, “Holy sh** Steve got a haircut.” Connor replied, “Yeah man he chopped it off.”

Connor’s wife’s page indicates they have three kids. However, Minnesota court records show she filed for divorce in 2023. At the time, divorce papers she filed said their kids were ages 7 months, 4 and 3.

She described herself as being in the Army National Guard and working as an assistant teacher as daycare centers, being an assistant manager at a gas station, and being an activities assistant at a nursing home.

Connor was listed as working at Hydrocane LLC, making $6,000 per month.

She wrote that Connor had requested a “minimum of two scheduled parenting times per month. No alcohol consumption prior to or during scheduled parenting time. If consumption is suspected then the other petitioner may request a breathalyzer. If breathalyzer is positive or refused then visit will end immediately.”

An obituary for the brothers’ dad, Jay Lloyd Grytdahl, says they are among four brothers. The obituary says that the dad died in 2017 at age 62 “surrounded by family.” The father served in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate Corp., where he was stationed in Germany, and worked as a corporate attorney in North Carolina, Illinois, and Tennessee. He was also an English and Business Law instructor at a university in China.

“Jay loved to create family dinners and enjoyed hunting and the outdoors,” the obituary reads, adding that he was “survived by sons Andrew, Stephen, Connor (Katelyn) and Matthew.”

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