Minnesota man charged after alleged homophobic broken-bottle stabbing
Kyle Eugene Heisler Jr. is facing charges of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, threats of violence, and obstructing the legal process. (St. Louis County Jail)
A Minnesota man has been charged after an alleged stabbing in a Duluth bar, with police believing the attack was driven by a mistaken belief that the victim was gay.
Kyle Eugene Heisler Jr., 25, of Deer River, Minnesota, is facing charges of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, threats of violence, and obstructing the legal process. He is being held on $100,000 bail.
The alleged attack took place in a bathroom at Ace’s Bar in downtown Duluth on 13 September, with police responding to the venue at around 12:10 am.
Court documents allege Heisler confronted a 37-year-old man and his friend in the men’s room, hurling homophobic slurs before stabbing the victim in the abdomen several times with a broken beer bottle. The complaint states the victim, his wife and a group of friends had been at a wedding reception earlier in the evening.
After the victim returned to the group, he did not realise he had been injured until friends noticed blood coming through his shirt.
Police later located Heisler and a woman a few blocks away, according to the complaint, which also alleges his shirt appeared to have blood on it.
The complaint further alleges he was combative during arrest and made threats, including saying he would put an arresting officer “in the ground”.
St. Louis County prosecutors said the victim suffered a kidney puncture and other wounds, and remains hospitalised as of 15 September.
Could the Duluth bar stabbing be treated as a hate crime?
At the charging hearing, St. Louis County prosecutor Mike Ryan told the court the stabbing appeared to be “based solely on a cursory and incorrect assessment of the person’s sexual orientation.”
Ryan also argued Heisler posed a broader risk, saying: “Mr Heisler’s conduct evinces a willingness to resort to extreme violence with very little motivation,” calling him a threat to “virtually anyone who crosses his path.”
If found guilty, the assault charge carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years, and the threats charge carries a maximum of five years.
Ryan said potential charges under Minnesota’s hate crime law were “certainly on my radar,” referring to assaults committed “in whole or in substantial part” due to a victim’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.
