Claremont Police Department, Minnesota
End of Watch: Tuesday, July 5, 1988
Age: 39
Tour of Duty: 16 years
Badge Number: 361
Cause of Death: Gunfire
Date of Incident: July 5, 1988
Weapon Used: Officer's handgun
Suspect Info: Convicted of murder
Chief of Police Gregory Lange was shot and killed after responding to a domestic disturbance at 2:00 am.
Chief Lange was at home when a neighbor came to his house to notify him of the incident at the neighbor's home.
When Chief Lange arrived and began assisting the female victim, two brothers turned on him, and one suspect was able to gain control of Chief Lange's service weapon. The men beat him with a shovel and then fatally shot him before both fled to Missouri, where they were later apprehended.
The shooter was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life. He was denied parole in 2002, 2012, 2020, and 2023. He will be eligible for parole again in 2023. His brother was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 18.5 years. He was paroled on October 5th, 2000. He was returned to prison in 2002 for violating his parole. Paroled again in 2003, he and two other parolees were soon caught trying to enter Mexico with a stolen car. He was returned to prison and paroled again in 2007.
Chief Lange had served in law enforcement for 16 years, serving as the Chief of Police with the Claremont Police Department for over two years. He was survived by his wife and son.