Charges outline negotiation with armed Minnesota man who threatened to shoot UnitedHealthcare building

Christopher Snowbeck and Jeff Day, Star Tribune on Apr 15, 2025

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A Minnesota man with a history of threatening behavior and criminal convictions was charged with four felonies Tuesday after Minnetonka police officers and FBI officials said he was threatening to shoot the UnitedHealthcare building in Minnetonka and was found with a loaded .38 revolver in his front seat.

Ian Stanley Wagner, 26, of Hopkins, was charged with being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm and threats of violence in Hennepin County District Court. Court and police records show the FBI was in active contact with Wagner on Monday morning after he called 911 and asked a dispatcher if they wanted to see “an evacuation on the news.”

Wagner was found with a loaded firearm with five live rounds in the chamber and 16 more rounds on a baggie in his car. He had called 911 saying he was going to shoot the building if pending criminal charges against him were not dropped.

An FBI official was in active negotiation with Wagner when Minnetonka police were contacted. During negotiations, Wagner said he would not be taken alive but surrendered without incident 50 minutes after making contact with 911.

Minnetonka police knew of Wagner’s history of mental health issues and threatening behavior. Wagner pleaded guilty in January to two felonies for threats of violence and was sentenced to 120 days on house arrest and three years of probation. He has an open misdemeanor case in Hennepin County for violating a restraining order in 2024. In 2022, he was charged in St. Louis County for violating a restraining order.

Wagner is being held in Hennepin County jail in lieu of $500,000 bail. He is due in court for a first appearance on Wednesday.

UnitedHealth Group said in a memo to workers there’s no reason to believe Wagner had any specific grievances against its UnitedHealthcare business, which is the nation’s largest health insurer.

Even so, the message to employees sent late Monday and obtained by the Minnesota Star Tribune directs workers to an employee assistance program as well as internal leaders who can help schedule appointments with licensed counselors, if needed.

“We understand this incident may have impacted you in a number of possible ways, and we want to remind you of our emotional well-being support resources,” the company said in the memo.

The incident, which for a time prompted a lockdown inside the company’s two-building campus in Minnetonka, has further rattled nerves at a business that was rocked in December by the killing of UnitedHealthcare Chief Executive Brian Thompson on a public sidewalk in New York City.

Law enforcement officials said Monday evening that their early investigation found no indication of specific grievances held by Wagner against UnitedHealthcare.

In the internal memo, parent company UnitedHealth Group says it responded by activating emergency response protocols for a safe work environment while reinforcing security guidelines and building access policies.

“Based on what we know of the situation, the individual made no demands against UnitedHealthcare,” the company said in its message. “There is no reason to believe there were specific grievances against the company.

“As we continue to learn more about the situation near our Minnetonka offices (Monday), the safety and security of our employees remains our top priority. ... We are grateful that law enforcement and our onsite security team acted quickly to resolve the situation.”

Eden Prairie-based UnitedHealth Group is one of the nation’s largest companies, with about 400,000 workers including 19,000 in Minnesota.

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