23-year-old charged with fatally shooting Green Bay man during car chase

GREEN BAY – A 23-year-old Green Bay man faces charges for fatally shooting a 24-year-old Green Bay man during a car chase July 14.

Michael Putala is charged with one count of first-degree reckless homicide with use of a dangerous weapon, and two counts of recklessly endangering safety with use of a dangerous weapon. He made his initial appearance in Brown County Circuit Court Friday afternoon.

Putala turned himself in July 15, but Assistant Brown County District Attorney Dana Johnson said in court July 17 that prosecutors weren't initially sure if they would file charges, due to a self-defense aspect of the case.

The following information is from a criminal complaint:

Around 7:11 p.m. on July 14, a Green Bay Police officer was in the parking lot of St. Vincent's Hospital, at 835 S. Van Buren St., when he saw a white Dodge Charger quickly drive in and park outside the emergency room doors. A man exited the vehicle and yelled something to people inside the ER, and multiple hospital staff came running out and took a gunshot victim from the vehicle. A second vehicle, a silver Acura sedan, pulled into the hospital parking lot and parked near the Dodge.

As this was happening, the police officer overheard on his radio dispatch sending an officer to Cass Street for a report of reckless driving by a white Dodge Charger. The caller told dispatch the vehicle was going around 60 miles per hour up and down the neighborhood road. The officer notified other police it may be related to the vehicle at the ER.

The 24-year-old man who was shot was pronounced dead at 8:43 p.m. Police have not released his name.

Officers took four men who came in the two vehicles with the victim into custody. One of the men said he was driving the white Dodge with the victim in the passenger seat, and when they passed a red Jeep, someone shot at them, striking the victim. He told police he believed the shooting happened on Roosevelt Street.

Police took both vehicles in as evidence. While completing inventory, officers saw a black handgun under the passenger seat of the silver Acura.

Around 1 p.m. the following day, July 15, Putala turned himself in and spoke to police with a lawyer.

Putala said he knew the victim and the group of men involved in the incident, and there had been an ongoing dispute between some of them. Around 5:45 or 6 p.m. July 14, Putala was at the BP gas station at 1501 Main Ave. in De Pere when he got into an argument with one of the men who were later taken into custody. Putala said the man asked him to fight, and after he agreed and exited his vehicle, the man pointed a gun at Putala.

Putala said he got back into the vehicle, which had another man in it, and started to leave, but after realizing they were being followed by the man with a gun, they returned to the gas station.

Putala said they then left and "drove around for a short time," while the other man riding in the Jeep was getting Snapchat messages that led him to believe a group of people involved in the dispute would be coming to his house, where he lives with his parents, on Cass Street.

Putala said he and the man drove to the house on Cass Street, but as they turned from Baird onto Cass Street, they saw the white Dodge and the silver Acura parked. Putala told police they saw three men run into the Dodge and begin chasing their Jeep. Putala said he didn't know if the Acura was following as well.

During the chase, Putala was in the passenger seat of the Jeep, he told police. At one point, the man driving hit the brakes, hoping the white Dodge would pass them. Putala said he thought the Dodge was going to hit their Jeep, then it pulled up next to them, and Putala said he saw someone in the backseat on the driver's side point a gun at him. Putala said he then immediately fired his gun twice.

Putala's attorney turned Putala's gun over to the police.

If convicted of first-degree reckless homicide, a Class B felony, Putala faces up to 60 years in prison. The two counts of recklessly endangering safety, Class F felonies, each carry a maximum sentence of 12 years and 6 months.

Putala's next court date has not yet been set.

RELATED: Police say Green Bay man shot, killed a man after an argument Friday, on city's east side

Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.

SUPPORT LOCAL JOURNALISM: Our subscribers make this coverage possible. Click to see the Green Bay Press Gazette's special offers at greenbaypressgazette.com/subscribe and download our app on the App Store or Google Play.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Green Bay man charged with fatal shooting during car chase