2 Wisconsin police officers, shooting suspect killed in gunfire following traffic stop

WHIO Staff
·2 min read
14

Two Wisconsin police officers and a suspect shooter were killed after gunfire was exchanged during a traffic stop Saturday afternoon.

>> TRENDING: 4 teens shot, injured during celebration of life gathering in Houston, Texas

A Chetek police officer conducted a traffic stop at around 3:35 p.m. in the village of Cameron, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) wrote in a news release.

During the traffic stop, gunfire was exchanged between police officers and the driver. The crossfire killed a Chetek police officer and a Cameron police officer—who were pronounced dead at the scene, the spokesperson informed.

The suspect was wounded in the shooting and was transported to a hospital where they eventually succumbed to their injuries and died, the spokesperson stated.

“I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss today of two officers. I am thinking of their families and the Chetek and Cameron Police Departments at this incredibly difficult time,” Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul tweeted.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Cameron and Chetek Police Departments,” the Barron County Sheriff’s Department said in a Facebook post.

Officials from the law enforcement department or the investigative bureau did not release any information regarding the events leading up to the shooting. Officials also did not release why a Chetek police officer conducted a traffic stop in the village of Cameron, about 9 miles northwest of Chetek.

The names of the killed officers and shooting suspect were kept confidential during the time of reporting.

The Wisconsin DOJ reassured the public that there was no threat to the community following the shooting.

The Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) within the Wisconsin DOJ opened an investigation into the incident as part of the procedure with an officer-involved shooting. They continued to “review evidence and determine the facts of this incident” with intentions to “turn over investigative reports to the Barron County District Attorney when the investigation concludes,” the spokesperson said.

The DCI led the investigation into the incident and were assisted by Barron County Sheriff’s Office, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Wisconsin State Patrol, Wisconsin State Crime Lab, and a DCI Crime Response Specialist.