The community is divided after no charges were filed in the West Fargo church shooting

WEST FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Community members are speaking out after word spreads that a West Fargo teacher will not face charges following a fatal shooting.

Austin Strom, 25, was killed in an act of self-defense, the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Court documents released today say Strom was at Prairie Heights Church on the morning of Aug. 17 because he thought, “He was God and wanted to break into his house.” When he tried to get in, he hit the 66-year-old Church member Kent Hodges. According to court documents, the two got into a physical altercation during which Hodges was found with several loose teeth and cuts on his face.

At the time, the shooter, Don Barron, was in a nearby parking lot, captured the encounter on his dashcam and drove over to intervene. After repeated failed commands from Barron for Strom to get to the ground, Barron finally shot Strom in the chest, killing him.

The Cass County District Attorney’s Office reviewed murder charges against Barron in recent weeks but ultimately concluded he acted in self-defense – something some residents are skeptical of.

“If you want to be a hero, just fire your gun at the sky, man. “Shoot it up, you didn’t have to kill him,” Greg Akason said.

Greg is a long-time West Fargo resident and said Barron wanted to be a “vigilante” that morning with multiple options to potentially prevent the shooting.

“Why didn’t he just call 911 before getting out of his vehicle? He knew he could have called 911 because he did right after he killed him,” Greg added.

While several comments about the self-defense verdict circulated on Valley News Live’s social media pages, others said Barron did what he had to do.

“At the end of the day, it’s self-defense. It’s not that Barron wanted to shoot him, you absolutely know he didn’t. It’s not like he woke up and said, ‘I’m going to shoot this young man today,'” said Ashley Hesse of Fargo.

Ashley acknowledged the loss of power and knows our community is still grieving, but continues to support Barron online. She has also had to deal with a similar situation in her personal life.

“I know what it’s like to have your name thrown up in the mud, and it’s really the last thing you need when you’re investigating someone else’s death.”

This death and the memories that come with it are something Barron will have to live with forever, according to Ashley.

She added: “It will stay with him and traumatize him to the extreme. Many people are not aware of this. When people tell me all sorts of things online, like, ‘He’s a cold-blooded murderer’ and all that… this man is also a teacher.”

Barron, who still teaches at West Fargo High School, was ordered not to make any statements by the US Concealed and Carry Associated Team, of which he is a member.

No matter what is said online or who is talking about this situation, both Greg and Ashley reiterated the idea of mental health and helping those in need.

“We have so much hate in this world! We need to start creating love, a lot more love,” Greg said.

Recent Posts