Son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer Crashes Through Hospital’s Emergency Room Bay and Kills Sheriff’s Deputy in High-Speed Chase
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The 42-year-old son of U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer crashed his family’s SUV through a hospital emergency room bay and then drove 70 miles before slamming into a squad car as he was being chased by police, killing a sheriff’s deputy who was laying down a tire deflation device, according to authorities and the senator’s family.
Ian Cramer, of Bismarck, was driven by his mother to a hospital at around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday over concerns about his mental health, Bismarck police said. When she got out of the SUV, Ian Cramer took the wheel and drove through a door to get out of the enclosed ambulance bay at the hospital’s emergency department.
Over an hour later, a deputy in neighboring Mercer County spotted Cramer and the Chevrolet Tahoe in Hazen, a community about 70 miles (113 kilometers) northwest of Bismarck. The North Dakota Highway Patrol said in a news release that a chase began and the SUV crashed into a Mercer County sheriff’s vehicle that was parked along a state highway.
A deputy was standing behind the parked vehicle and preparing to deploy a tire deflation device to end the chase. The impact of the crash pushed the parked vehicle into the deputy, killing him. He was identified Thursday as 53-year-old Paul Martin.
Ian Cramer was evaluated at a hospital and then jailed. The patrol said charges are pending.
“We ask the public for prayers for the lost officer’s family and colleagues who serve us every day and are grateful for all they do for us,” Kevin Cramer said in a statement. The first-term Republican senator wrote that his son “suffers from serious mental disorders which manifest in severe paranoia and hallucinations.” Earlier Wednesday, Ian Cramer insisted on “going to his brother Ike,” who died in 2018, according to the statement.
Alarmed, Kris Cramer took her son to the Sanford Health emergency room in Bismarck. While parked in the ambulance bay, “Ian got into the driver’s seat and allegedly rammed the doors of the bay and fled the scene,” Bismarck police said.
The senator’s daughter tracked the SUV through a cellphone and alerted authorities. The patrol said that when a Mercer County deputy spotted Ian Cramer in Hazen and approached him, Cramer fled. The crash happened a short time later on North Dakota Highway 200, about 5 miles (8 kilometers) outside of Hazen.
Martin was an 18-year veteran of the sheriff’s office, which said he was married and had three children.
In a post to the sheriff’s office Facebook page, Mercer County Sheriff Terry Ternes said Martin “is our beloved brother in law enforcement, a husband, father, and grandpa. Our wound is raw, and our hearts are broken.”
North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum directed government agencies to fly flags at half-staff in honor of Martin until sunset on the day he is interred. He encouraged residents to do the same.
The hospital in Bismarck sustained damage to the main entrance to its emergency department’s vehicle and ambulance garage, according to Sanford Health Bismarck. The entrance is temporarily out of service, with a temporary entrance since set up. No one was injured, the hospital said.
Whitney Zeadow, 36, who lives near Hazen, said Martin was once her neighbor; she sometimes cared for the retired police dogs he kept when he was away from home.
“He was just a fantastic man,” Zeadow said, fighting back tears. “He was the type that would be your champion. He was just there to support the community, help the kids. Any little thing. He was just a joy to be around.”
Kevin Cramer was elected to the Senate in 2018 after serving three terms in the House. He has been a staunch advocate for law enforcement.
In an opinion article posted on the Fox News website in 2020 during turmoil that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Cramer defended police.
“While imperfect, police officers are still heroes,” he wrote. “They wake up every day ready to put their lives on the line to keep their friends and neighbors safe.”
In his statement Wednesday, Cramer said that his family grieves with “the family of the hero who tried to help Ian,” a reference to Martin.
The Cramer family has endured tragedy before.
Isaac “Ike” Cramer in 2007 began dating a woman who was the mother of an infant, Abel. Three years later, the woman was killed by her estranged husband. Kevin and Kris Cramer adopted the child, who is now a teenager. Cramer also has two daughters and six grandchildren, according to his Senate website.
In 2018, soon after Kevin Cramer announced his run for the Senate, Ike Cramer died from liver and kidney failure following a long battle with alcohol addiction. He was 35.
Kevin Cramer wrote on Facebook at the time that he and his wife were bedside when he “took his last breath on Earth. Now Isaac feels no anxiety or urging for alcohol. He feels no pain and will never be depressed again.”
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Salter reported from O’Fallon, Missouri. Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York and Heather Hollingsworth in Mission, Kansas, contributed to this report.