North Dakota police say dispute between Robert, Richard and Douglas Bracken led to murder-suicide

A ‘brotherly controversy’ provoked Suspected murder of 59-year-old Robert Bracken His own son, brother, and another man, said Towner County Sheriff Andrew Hillier on Friday, before pointing a gun at himself in a North Dakota wheat field on Aug. 29.

Robert Bracken was harvesting in the northeastern part of the state with his brother Richard Bracken, 64, and son Justin Bracken, 34. The field was owned by 56-year-old Douglas Dharmage, who was also killed.

The controversy leading to the shooting “has been escalating for over a week,” the sheriff said.

Evidence at the scene indicates that Robert Bracken shot and killed three men with a .357 caliber revolver before taking his own life. Sheriffs said he was in possession of a gun and had fatal self-inflicted injuries.

Dharmage is a member of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture and has served as president of the Benson County Department of Agriculture.

“It’s hard to understand why something like this could happen in a rural farming community,” said Daryl Rise, president of the North Dakota Department of Agriculture, in a statement.

“When evil shows up, it can be devastating, but we must remember that there is more good than evil in our world. Doug’s dedication to farming and to his family love will be remembered forever.”

The Bracken family is from Leeds, about 20 miles southwest of the site of the triple murder and suicide in Kandor.