Nov 29, 2012

Archived: Little Falls Shooting Update

LITTLE FALLS, Minn. (AP) A Little Falls man charged with murdering two teenagers who apparently broke into his home on Thanksgiving Day had a job that involved overseeing technical security issues for U.S. embassies.

Byron Smith was a security engineer for the U.S. Department of State. He retired six years ago.

Retired State Department political officer William Davnie tells Minnesota Public Radio News that security engineers oversee construction and repair work for U.S. embassy buildings and consulates. They do not patrol grounds like security officers, but instead focus on technical issues such as building layout and alarms.

Authorities say a car linked to two teens shot and killed during an alleged home burglary on Thanksgiving Day contained prescription drugs stolen from another house nearby. Morrison County Sheriff Michel Wetzel says a red Mitsubishi Eclipse was searched after the deaths of Nicholas Brady and Haile Kifer.

The teen cousins were killed in the home of Byron Smith, who is charged with murder. Wetzel says the night before the shootings, a homeowner just south of the city of Little Falls reported a suspicious car parked near the end of his driveway. Deputies had contact with Brady, who said he and Kifer had been in the car when it ran out of gas.

Authorities later received a report that a home in that area had been burglarized.

Thank You Underwriters

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