MINOT, N.D. (KFGO) – Colonel Mitch Johnson, Commander of the 119th Wing of the North Dakota Air National Guard, says the entire Hooligan family is saddened by the tragic loss of one of their members.
Master Sgt. Nicholas Van Pelt, an airman of the 219th Security Forces Squadron based at the Minot Air Force Base was shot and killed at his Minot apartment on Christmas Eve.
An unidentified 41-year-old woman was critically wounded in the shooting.
Homeland Security officer Daniel Breijo was arrested and charged with felony murder and felony attempted murder. Authorities say Breijo and the victims knew each other.
Sgt. Van Pelt, a native of Ringold, Ga., enlisted in the Air Force in 2001. He became a member of the North Dakota Air National Guard in 2009. Van Pelt was a Ward County Sheriff’s Deputy until May 2023, when he transitioned to serving full-time with the 219th.
His three children and parents survive him.
