Former Oshkosh West student sentenced to prison for 2019 attack of school resource officer
OSHKOSH – A former Oshkosh West student convicted of attacking a school resource officer with a barbecue fork in 2019 was sentenced Monday to 17 years in prison, followed by 10 years of extended supervision.
Grant Fuhrman, 20, was convicted of attempted first-degree intentional homicide Feb. 3 after a two-week trial.
On Dec. 3, 2019, Fuhrman attacked Oshkosh West school resource officer Michael Wissink with a two-pronged fork. He was a 16-year-old high school junior at that time. In response, Wissink shot Fuhrman in the chest.
Before Winnebago County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Bissett delivered his sentence, Fuhrman tearfully apologized for his actions and the lasting impact they caused to Wissink, the Oshkosh West community and everyone impacted by the case.
"As much as I wish I could, I can't take back what I've done. ... My actions affected a lot of people who are supposed to feel safe at school," Fuhrman said. "What I have done affected many lives. Everything that happened on or since that day, Dec. 3, rooted from the actions that I took ... I'm so sorry to everyone for everything."
Fuhrman also thanked the first responders who were on scene, as well as Bissett for his fairness.
Fuhrman has close to 3 ½ years jail credit, which will be counted as part of his 17 years imprisonment.
The sentencing hearing was about four hours long, and the courtroom was filled. Attorneys summarized arguments from the trial and discussed evidence that was not permitted to be presented at trial, including the impact of Fuhrman's ADHD medication on his mindset the day of the attack.
As was argued at trial, Assistant District Attorney Tracy Paider argued that Fuhrman carried out a premeditated attack with the intent to kill Wissink and get a hold of his gun. Fuhrman's defense attorney Corey Mehlos argued that Fuhrman's goal that day was not to kill anyone, but to die by suicide.
Paider recommended a prison sentence of 20 to 25 years. Mehlos requested a vastly lesser sentence, of 3 ½ years of initial confinement followed by five years of extended supervision.
In the weeks leading up to the sentencing, dozens of letters were filed with the court. Some offered positive descriptions of Fuhrman's character and petitioned Bissett for leniency, while others described negative impacts of the Oshkosh West incident on victims and the community and requested prison time.
Wissink and his girlfriend, former Oshkosh West Assistant Principal Becky Montour, each read victim impact statements to the court. They described long-lasting physical and mental impacts of the attack and its aftermath.
Wissink said he still has a hard time using his hand, which he accidentally shot when he fired his gun in self-defense, and suffers from PTSD. He also said the incident ended his career as a school resource officer, which he enjoyed and wasn't ready to leave. Wissink also said he did not believe Fuhrman's actions that day were an attempted suicide-by-cop situation, but a way to get Wissink's gun and go on a "rampage."
"This was no type of suicide. If he had his way, I would have been dead, and he would have my gun and 46 bullets," Wissink said.
Wissink requested Bissett give Fuhrman the maximum prison sentence available. Montour requested at least 25 years.
Mehlos called five people to testify on Fuhrman's behalf: Fuhrman's mother, a friend's parent, one of Fuhrman's former teachers, a psychiatrist, as well as one of the jurors from the case.
Paider objected to the juror testifying, and Bissett ordered the juror to not take the stand.
Fuhrman's mother, Tina Kintopf, testified to her son's character and described his history with ADHD medication and how it affected his behavior.
Malaki Krieski, a parent of a child who hung out in the same friend group as Fuhrman, testified that she had overheard Fuhrman discussing suicide with his peers during fall, 2019. She said she reported it to school staff on three separate occasions throughout the semester, but found out later that no one had notified Fuhrman's mother. Elizabeth Van Engen, a teacher who worked closely with Fuhrman and took the witness stand at trial, also testified that the school did not properly deal with reports that Fuhrman had talked about suicide.
Dr. Andrew Clark, a psychiatrist, testified that he does not believe Fuhrman's ADHD medication caused his suicidal thoughts, but that the medication may have made it hard for him to focus on anything other than a suicidal plan that he already had. Additionally, Clark said Fuhrman reported adverse side effects to the medication including loss of sleep and negative feelings, which may have exacerbated his poor mental state.
The maximum sentence Fuhrman faced for the conviction was 60 years, 40 of them in initial confinement. There was no minimum sentencing requirement, Bissett said, so he had to weight both aggravating and mitigating factors.
"This was a case where the jury has determined that he committed this attempted first-degree intentional homicide. They determined there was intent in this case," Bissett said. "It appears that his primary intent may have been to end his own life, but that is somewhat speculative. And even if it is so, would he have taken others' lives in the process of ending his own life? That's speculative. We don't know that."
In delivering Fuhrman's sentence, Bissett said he believes Fuhrman is truly remorseful for his actions, but emphasized the need to deliver a just sentence for a severe crime.
"This sentence will take the defendant through his 20s, but is not considered to be a life sentence. There is a lot of living yet you have in front of you sir," Bissett said. "I hope that you take advantage of what opportunities are available within the prison system and utilize them to the best of your ability and try to make a smooth transition into the community through extended supervision."
Contact Kelli Arseneau at (920) 213-3721 or karseneau@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @ArseneauKelli.
This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Former Oshkosh West student sentenced to prison for 2019 attack
