What happened to Shellby Trettel? GoFundMe raises over $12,000 as 22-year-old employee killed in Cloquet hotel shooting

A GoFundMe initiative identified Shellby Trettel, an employee at the Super 8 hotel in Cloquet, as one of two victims killed in a shooting at the small-town Minnesota hotel on Monday, January 8, 2024.

According to the Associated Press, at about 6:30 pm Monday, a Super 8 employee called 911 to report that another employee looked like she had been attacked. Upon arrival, police found a 22-year-old desk clerk, now identified as Shellby Trettel, with a gunshot wound. She was reportedly taken to St. Luke's Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Officers also found the second victim, identified as a 35-year-old man from Deer River, Minnesota, dead inside a car on the property, prompting a brief call for residents to shelter in place while police looked for the shooter. Shortly after, police found the suspected shooter, identified as a 32-year-old man from Ramsey, Minnesota, dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound with the weapon next to him.

While authorities have yet to reveal the names of the shooter and the victims, a GoFundMe set up to help the family handle the unexpected funeral costs and other expenses identified one of the victims as Shellby Trettel, who self-described as a "front desk rep" at Super 8 on her Facebook page.

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Cloquet shooting victim Shellby Trettel had worked at the hotel for over five years

A GoFundMe account organized by a friend, Kasey Murray, confirmed Shellby Trettel was shot and killed in Super 8 hotel in Cloquet on Monday night. The page, which has raised over $12,000, surpassing the target amount of $10,000, urged people to donate so the Trettel family could pay for the funeral costs and other expenses.

The fundraising page, which described Trettel as a fiercely kind and ambitious individual, added,

“I am asking for donations for the family as they now have to plan and pay for an untimely funeral and any other expenses that may accrue. Please support them in any way you can, and thank you in advance for your support and kindness.”

In a Facebook post, Shellby’s father, Tim Trettel, said his daughter, who had been working at the Super 8 for more than five years, was killed while doing the job she loved. Part of the post read:

“Shellby was a caring, compassionate and wonderfully colorful person. She loved her siblings and friends and her music. Shellby was a person who you could always count on. Shellby Trettel is a memorable person who has touched many lives. She will be so dearly missed and forever in our hearts.”

As police continue to investigate the Cloquet Hotel shooting, they have yet to disclose a potential motive for the incident. The Cloquet police department said that surveillance video helped them identify the shooter, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police said the shooting lasted about 10 minutes before officers arrived at the scene.