A man has died Sunday afternoon near Minden Township after making threats of self-harm.

Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck says at 12:15 p.m. a call was made about the person’s friend who wanted to hurt himself or others. Officers then went to where the man was at the 7300 block of Highway 95 northeast. Deputies and Officers were able to confirm the man had armed himself with a firearm and evacuated the area.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Sauk Rapids, Police Department and the Stearns-Benton Special Emergency Response Team all were on the scene. Traffic along Highway 95 was diverted. Crisis negotiators and the SERT team attempted at negotiations but were unsuccessful. Eventually the team went in and found the man dead from a gun-shot wound.

The body was sent to the Midwest Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death. After assuring no public threat, people were able to return to their homes in the area. The name of the man is being withheld currently to allow family to contact next of kin.