GRAND MARAIS – Tom Peterson was excited for the holiday vacation. Along with his wife and son, the plan was to spend the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day on the North Shore.
“We come up to Grand Marais all the time,” he said. “It’s our favorite spot.”
The cold weather waiting in January hadn’t yet descended across Minnesota, so Peterson and his family were in good spirits when they rolled into town Dec. 26. One day later, Peterson was attacked in a local grocery store and rushed to the emergency room.
The highly publicized incident took place inside the Cook County Co-Op, a popular spot for tourists and locals alike, known for its communal vibes and organic products. The incident where Peterson was attacked by an employee of the store is described in police reports and other court documents as a random act of violence. The accused perpetrator, Donovan Vondall, 33, of Grand Portage, was an employee of the co-op at the time of the stabbing. Vondall has a history of criminal offenses and struggles with mental illness that have led to previous interactions with law enforcement and the legal system. Most recently, court documents reviewed by the Northshore Journal state that Vondall’s grandmother told investigators he has schizophrenia and had not been taking medication before the situation that took place inside the co-op.
In his first interview with the media following the December incident, Peterson told the Northshore Journal that he feels “lucky to be alive” after he was attacked. The conversation with Peterson took place one day after Vondall was deemed competent to stand trial for the charges he faces, which include stabbing Peterson in the neck with a knife. Vondall is charged with attempted intentional second-degree murder and first- and second-degree assault stemming from the incident.
Peterson, a 44-year-old St. Paul resident, said he and his family “love Grand Marais.” They visit the town as often as they can, typically several times a year. They often stay in vacation rentals when they visit, as they were on the scheduled vacation just after Christmas. Peterson said he and his wife shop so frequently at the Cook County Co-Op that they decided to become members. It’s one of their favorite stops in town, more than just a grocery store, he said.
“It’s a place we love going to, just like the town itself,” he added.
According to the criminal complaint filed soon after the Dec. 27 incident at the co-op, Peterson told Cook County Sheriff Investigator Angelique Homan he noticed Vondall glaring at him moments before the attack. Seconds later, Peterson said he felt what he described as a “sharp punch” near his neck and jaw area. He turned to see Vondall, who was standing in close proximity, holding a knife
Peterson fled to the front of the store after the stabbing, with Vondall initially chasing him. Vondall told local law enforcement he chased Peterson with the intent to kill him, according to the court documents reviewed by this newspaper. After initially pursuing Peterson, Vondall retreated to the back of the store, exiting the co-op via a staff entrance. He was arrested a short time later without incident at a private residence.
When asked why he had targeted Peterson, Vondall told local law enforcement, “it was the look on (Peterson’s) face that day” that made him want to attack him with the knife. Vondall said “people staring at him is a trigger for him, and he also thought there was some racism happening,” the criminal complaint states.
When he was taken into custody, authorities recovered a black foldout knife. Vondall confirmed the weapon had been in his possession, the complaint said.
Local law enforcement officials interviewed Peterson at the hospital in Grand Marais, North Shore Health, and noted that he had difficulty speaking after the attack, having “suffered nerve damage to the right side of his face, causing his face to droop and his tongue to feel partially numb.”
Peterson told the Northshore Journal last week that he is recovering from the injuries he sustained in the Dec. 27 attack at the co-op. Despite hefty medical bills as a result of the stabbing, he is not planning to sue the Cook County Co-Op, he said. Peterson said the Minnesota Crime Victims Reimbursement Program is assisting with his expenses related to the incident. Under the state program, injured victims of a crime are eligible to have medical expenses covered, as well as lost wages for up to one year. Peterson is also eligible for other coverage that falls under the umbrella of the program, including counseling and in-patient mental health care, should he opt to pursue such treatment. The state-run program was established by the Legislature in 1974 to help victims with their financial losses and aid in their recovery from a violent crime.
Furthermore, Peterson said he doesn’t want to sue the co-op because he doesn’t want to have to relive the experience of being attacked in the local grocery store. He said it is all “surreal” when he thinks back on the day and the situation in its entirety.
The Cook County Co-Op was closed for two days last week, shortly after the Feb. 9 hearing where Judge Steven Hanke ruled Vondall competent to stand trial. Vondall will be required to remain in the Grand Portage area, where he will live with family members under electronic monitoring, according to the hearing summary from last week. He will also be required to stay away from the co-op, Hanke ruled.
Peterson told the Northshore Journal he sent an email to the co-op several days after he was attacked inside the store to let them know he was doing okay. He said someone sent a reply, encouraging Peterson to reach out if there was anything the co-op could do to help. The Northshore Journal sent a series of questions to the co-op board chair, general manager, and their communications manager Feb. 10 regarding the closure of the store last week, as well as other questions pertaining to the store employees. Board Chair Yusef Orest replied one day later that, “Out (of) respect and privacy for anyone impacted by recent events, we are not able to comment at this time.”
This is the second incident within the past three years in Cook County where a local resident struggling with mental illness has allegedly attacked and either killed or attempted to kill someone. Levi Axtell, a local resident who killed a convicted pedophile in 2023 in Grand Marais, is the other example that has drawn statewide media attention to Cook County following a violent incident in Grand Marais. Axtell is currently considered not competent to stand trial for the murder of Larry Scully, while the court found Vondall competent, albeit with the understanding that he has a history of mental illness. Vondall, who has twice been civilly committed to psychiatric care, once in 2012 and again one year later, told police he’d been drinking alcohol the night before the incident at the co-op and considered staying home from work Dec. 27 “because he felt like hurting someone,” according to the criminal complaint.
Meanwhile, the Cook County community continues to grapple with how to cope when mental illness intersects with violence on the local level. Some residents talk only of such matters in private, while others use social media to express concern for community well-being. Facebook groups and the personal pages of local residents are rife with people expressing concern for people who commit violent crimes while struggling with mental illness and chemical dependency. A group of community members was scheduled to gather at the Cook County Community Center on Feb. 12 to discuss healing and moving forward collectively. Meanwhile, both Axtell and Vondall are entangled in the legal system, with murder and attempted murder charges, respectively, pending.
And while mental health and community well-being following violent crimes are a local issue at this time, it’s also being discussed nationally. A comment posted with a Feb. 11 New York Times article, from someone identified as Anna, states: “If this country wants to get serious about treating long-term mental illness, we need the appetite to publicly fund long-term institutional treatment (with appropriate oversight to prevent abuse) for individuals who are disabled enough by their illness that they cannot function independently in society.”
And while the physical injuries Peterson sustained during the Dec. 27 attack at the co-op have mostly healed, he said entering any grocery store can be challenging for him and his family. Looking ahead, Peterson said he is planning to return to Grand Marais, along with his family.
“We recognize the impact this has had on the town,” he said. “We know it’s a tight-knit community. But we’ll be back up. We love it there.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, help is available.
For immediate, 24/7, free, and confidential mental health support in the U.S. and Canada, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It connects you with trained counselors for crisis, emotional distress, or substance use issues. For text-based support, you can also text “HOME” to 741741.
Mental Health Phone Resources:
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: Call or Text 988 (Available 24/7).
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741.
• Veterans Crisis Line: Call 988 and press 1, or text 838255.
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) HelpLine: Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264).
• Spanish Line: Text AYUDA to 988.
If there is an immediate danger or life-threatening situation, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
