Master Sgt. Nicholas Van Pelt, 41, died Dec. 24, 2023, in a shooting at his apartment in Minot, North Dakota. He was a member of the North Dakota National Guard who first enlisted in the Air Force in 2001. (North Dakota Fraternal Order of Police)
Master Sgt. Nicholas McLeod Van Pelt was remembered Friday as a man dedicated to his three children, his community and the Air Force.
His military career began 11 days before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which led to overseas assignments in Korea, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates, said Maj. Greg Goodman, commander of Van Pelt’s North Dakota Air National Guard unit — the 219th Security Forces Squadron. The two first met in 2009.
“[Van Pelt] enlisted in a time of peace that was immediately faced with a time of war. But he didn’t just complete his initial enlistment and call it a day,” Goodman said during a funeral service for Van Pelt. “Nick kept reenlisting knowing he could, and ultimately would, be sent overseas and be asked to risk his life.”
Van Pelt, 41, was shot dead in his Minot apartment on Christmas Eve in an incident involving a member of the Air Force Reserve and a woman the authorities have not named. During the service Friday, his family promised to seek justice for his death.
“Mom … will make sure you get the justice you deserve. Make sure to watch over her because you are watching over us. We have the best guardian angel,” said Master Sgt. Todd Ouradnic, a close friend who read a letter to Van Pelt at the service on behalf of Van Pelt’s children.
On the night of the shooting, a neighbor called police at about 8:42 p.m. to report six loud bangs from the apartment next to him and people screaming, according to court documents. Dispatchers advised police that two additional gunshots were heard while on the phone with the neighbor.
When Minot police arrived, an officer could hear the woman inside say she’d “been shot all over.” The officer kicked in the door and found Van Pelt dead on the floor. The woman was found in the laundry room with two gunshot wounds to her upper back and another to her right forearm. She told police the shooter’s name was “Dan” before she was taken to a local hospital, according to court records.
Police found a man in a bathroom on his knees and a black handgun lying on the ground to the right of him. He had blood on his face, head and sweatshirt but no corresponding injuries. He was soon identified as Air Force Reserve Tech Sgt. Daniel Breijo.
Breijo, 39, works as a Department of Homeland Security officer who was listed Friday as an inmate at the Ward County Detention Center. He is charged with murder and attempted murder.
Van Pelt and Breijo worked as law enforcement officers for the Air Force and in the Minot community. However, court documents do not describe a possible motive for the shooting or the relationships between the three people involved in the incident.
Breijo resides in nearby Surrey. He first enlisted in the Air Force in 2003 and last served on active duty in 2011 as a staff sergeant at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, according to his service record. His awards indicate he too served in Afghanistan and Korea.
Now as a member of the Air Force Reserve, Breijo is assigned as an installation patrolman at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida.
Van Pelt worked as a Ward County sheriff’s deputy until May, when he transitioned to serving full time with his Guard squadron. A native of Ringgold, Ga., Minot Air Force Base was his first duty station and he later settled there, moving into the North Dakota National Guard in 2009.
The next court hearing is scheduled for Feb. 29, according to online court records. To proceed with the case, state officials must bring in a judge and prosecutor from outside the district after judges in the district recused themselves because they all knew the people involved in the killing.
Van Pelt received military and law enforcement honors at Friday’s funeral. Another service will be held Jan. 12 in the airman’s hometown.
Dozens of family members, friends and fellow airmen attended the service for Van Pelt at Our Redeemer’s Church in Minot and more than 200 people watched online as friends described Van Pelt as a father who always showed up for his kids and a mentor to other airmen in the 219th Squadron, which is part of the 119th Wing of the North Dakota National Guard at Minot Air Force Base. The squadron’s mission includes protecting intercontinental ballistic missiles.
“It is always sad when the world loses a person like Nick,” Ouradnic said. “But if we just once a day look at the next person the way Nick did, we won’t forget him. And the world we live in will be just a little brighter because of it. Here’s to you, brother. We love you. We will miss you.”
Thayer.rose@stripes.com
Twitter: @Rose_Lori
