3 Green Bay police officers involved in July 20 shooting will not face charges and returned to work Tuesday
GREEN BAY – Three Green Bay Police Department officers who were placed on administrative leave will not face charges for a July 20 shooting of a man involved in a domestic disturbance.
Officers Cameron Boersma, Shawna Coron and Chrisopher Vaubel, all four-year veterans of the police department, returned to duty Tuesday after the Brown County District Attorney's Office reviewed the case and determined there was "no evidence to suggest criminal conduct," the police department said in a news release Friday.
Police were called to respond to a domestic dispute between two people at an apartment complex in the 700 block of Chapel View Road at 11:14 p.m. July 20.
When officers arrived at the residence, Russell Lonas, 31, of Green Bay, had driven away in a vehicle, and police were informed that he had a gun, according to the criminal complaint.
An officer located him and attempted a traffic stop, but Lonas continued driving, according to a criminal complaint. The officer pursued the vehicle, and police caused Lonas' vehicle to spin out. Lonas then drove in the grass, and police met him in a field south of Chapel View Road and attempted to negotiate with him, according to the complaint.
Lonas shot once into the air, the complaint said, then got back into his vehicle and drove away, eventually driving in direction of the apartment complex. At one point, he nearly hit an officer with his vehicle, according to the complaint. Boersma, Coron and Vaubel discharged their firearms to stop him, but police didn't say who shot Lonas and how many times he was shot.
Police then took Lonas into custody with the help of a police dog. He had nonlife-threatening injuries.
The three officers were immediately placed on administrative leave, which is department policy.
The district attorney's office said the officers' use of force was justified, because they were acting "in good faith" to stop the threat to themselves and area residents, according to the police department.
“While we never want to be placed in a situation where we must use deadly force, I appreciate the way our officers and sergeants came together and worked as a team to resolve this complex and difficult situation," Green Bay Police Chief Chris Davis said in a statement. "This incident is an example of the risks inherent in a career in police service."
The police department will assemble a "critical incident review board" to review the incident to ensure officers complied with the department's policies and procedures.
Lonas is charged with second-degree recklessly endangering safety with use of a deadly weapon, fleeing an officer in a vehicle, failing to comply with an officer's attempt to take him into custody, disorderly conduct with domestic abuse assessments and operating a firearm while intoxicated.
He remains in Brown County Jail with bail set at $25,000. He is due in court for a hearing at 9 a.m. Sept. 15.
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: 3 Green Bay officers involved in July 20 shooting will not be charged
