Court records say dispatchers heard threats and pleas before officers arrested Joseph David Bulfer inside the townhome.
MANKATO, Minn. — A woman hiding her cellphone during a bathroom assault gave dispatchers an open line into a Mankato townhome where police say her former boyfriend had just killed her current partner.
The 911 call is a central part of the criminal complaint against Joseph David Bulfer, 44, of Fairmont. He is accused of breaking into Rosalyn Marie Rode’s townhome April 26, shooting Joshua Robert Downey, 52, with a rifle and then beating Rode while threatening to kill her. The case now sits in Blue Earth County District Court with eight felony counts.
According to the complaint, Rode later told investigators she had dated Bulfer before breaking up with him in about December 2025. She said she then began dating Downey. On the morning of the shooting, Bulfer contacted her and wanted to talk. Rode told investigators she said she planned to go to church and run errands. By early afternoon, she and Downey were watching a movie inside her Castle Pines Drive townhome. She said the front door was locked and the garage door was closed. Then she heard a door open, followed by someone running upstairs. The complaint says Bulfer entered the bedroom and fired multiple shots at Downey. Rode said he yelled that the shooting was her fault.
Rode’s own emergency call came after the attack moved from the bedroom to the bathroom, the complaint says. She told investigators Bulfer struck her with the rifle and with his hand, forced her toward the bathtub and pointed the weapon at himself and at her. She said he demanded that she get in the bathtub so he could drain her blood. Rode also told investigators she begged him not to kill her because her children needed her. At some point, the complaint says, she was able to keep her phone hidden and call 911. She left the line open under her body while dispatchers listened to parts of the attack.
Officer Dylan McCarville later summarized what dispatchers heard. The complaint says Rode reported that a man had shot someone and asked for help. Dispatchers then heard statements police attributed to Bulfer, including “you just caused him to die” and “Do you want me to pull the trigger.” Rode could be heard telling him not to do it and pleading for him to stop. The complaint says dispatchers also heard him order her to get up and get into the shower area. Those recordings are likely to become key evidence because they captured events before officers had fully entered and secured the home.
A separate caller had already alerted authorities. At about 1:35 p.m., a neighbor reported hearing a loud bang and seeing a hole in a wall from the other side of the townhome. The caller also reported banging and possible gunshots from a nearby residence. As officers were responding, dispatchers learned that someone inside had reported being shot with an AR-15. They also heard that the suspect was still at the scene and that Downey was dead. Officers reached the address, found an open north-side door and entered because of the reported gunfire, possible victims and an active threat inside.
Officer Rick Wanderscheid said in the complaint that officers cleared the lower level before hearing a gunshot from upstairs. He followed Officer Courtney Walker up the stairs. Wanderscheid, Walker and Sgt. Matt Huettl were calling out the upstairs layout when a door opened and Bulfer emerged into the hallway. Other officers said Bulfer threw a rifle into a bedroom before raising his hands. Police ordered him forward. Minnesota State Patrol Sgt. Ryan Marthaler handcuffed him while Wanderscheid held cover. The complaint says Bulfer told officers Rode was in the bathroom and Downey was dead. Officers later found the rifle on a bed.
Marthaler found Rode in the attached bathroom. She was covered in blood, visibly scared and had her head down in the bathtub, according to the complaint. She told him her head and side hurt, and she was able to walk out with help. A Mankato Fire Department member took over her care, and she was transported to Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato. Preliminary medical information listed numerous bruises to her head and body, a head cut, a collapsed lung and three to four broken ribs. The complaint does not describe her condition after treatment or say how long she stayed in the hospital.
Downey was found on the bedroom floor with obvious trauma and no signs of life. A fire department member checked him and confirmed he had no pulse. The provisional autopsy found six entrance gunshot wounds to his head and face, multiple entrance, exit and graze wounds to his torso, four entrance wounds to his right arm and shoulder, and a wound to his left forearm. Investigators found about 20 spent shell casings in the bedroom. They also noted holes in the wall that appeared similar to bullet damage. Police have not said whether any bullet traveled into the neighbor’s unit, though the first caller reported a hole in a shared wall.
The complaint filed April 28 charges Bulfer with second-degree murder with intent, attempted second-degree murder with intent, first-degree assault, second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, illegal possession of a firearm and three forms of first-degree burglary. Prosecutors say he entered an occupied dwelling without consent, possessed a dangerous weapon and assaulted a person inside. The firearm count is tied to his prior record. The complaint says Bulfer has felony convictions for threats of violence, first-degree burglary and domestic assault by strangulation. The most serious murder count carries a maximum sentence of 40 years if he is convicted.
After his arrest, Bulfer made several short comments to police, according to the complaint. While still inside, he said, “I apologize for the inconvenience.” As officers walked him to a Mankato squad car, he said, “Hey sorry guys. Didn’t mean to get you out here today.” A medic asked whether he needed medical attention, and the complaint says he declined and said he wanted to go to jail. Those statements came while officers and emergency responders were still checking the victims and securing the upstairs rooms. The complaint does not say Bulfer gave a formal interview after being taken from the home.
The court filing also leaves several parts of the investigation open. It says numerous reports had not been received when prosecutors filed the complaint, including reports from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Crime Scene Team. Those records could add details about the rifle, shell casings, bullet paths, blood evidence, fingerprints, door damage or other items recovered from the townhome. Investigators also may seek to preserve the 911 audio, medical findings, autopsy evidence and any phone records tied to the morning contact between Bulfer and Rode. Authorities said the complaint could be supplemented later.
Bulfer appeared in court after the charges were filed, and local reports said bail was set at $5 million with conditions or $10 million without conditions. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. The case remains in Blue Earth County District Court as prosecutors and investigators continue to build the record around the 911 call, the crime scene and Rode’s account of what happened inside the home.
Author note: Last updated May 22, 2026.