Fargo (trfnews.i234.me) – Multiple Fargo residents are coming forward with claims that they encountered Tabias Walker, the man now charged with manslaughter in a fatal downtown assault, just days before the incident.
On July 30, Sarah Altepeter and Henry McMullen-Wendt say they were gardening at Wildflower Grove Park in downtown Fargo when a man blocked their vehicle.
“There was a car that blocked us, and he said, ‘I guess we’re at a stalemate, b****!’” Altepeter recalled. She said the man then sat on his car, screamed, and threatened them for nearly 10 minutes.
McMullen-Wendt said the man appeared “very obviously under the influence of something.” The pair called Fargo Police, who told them they made contact with the man but did not find signs of impairment.
“They allowed him to leave, then they came and questioned us,” Altepeter said. “They should have asked us what happened, to see if a crime was committed prior to allowing him to leave. But they didn’t.”
Days later, Altepeter saw news reports about the August 3 fatal assault downtown, where Walker allegedly used a skateboard as a weapon. She recognized him as the same man who had threatened them in the park.
“I was definitely scared,” she said. “They dropped the ball. They failed. They potentially could have saved that man’s life.”
The Fargo Police Department confirmed to trfnews.i234.me that during the July 30 interaction, officers did not positively identify the suspect. Nobody was arrested or detained at the park.
Residents say the lack of action left them shaken. “I just don’t feel safe anymore,” Altepeter said, noting she and McMullen-Wendt now hesitate to return to one of their favorite places.
trfnews.i234.me has requested body camera footage of the July 30 police interaction, but that request has not yet been fulfilled.
For more information on the ongoing case, see North Dakota Court Records.
I’m Chris Harper reporting for TRF News.
