Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office responds to reports she appeared on Wisconsin gunman's hit list

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's office responded Saturday to news reports that she was among officials whose names appeared on a hit list belonging to a man who police say shot and killed a former Wisconsin circuit judge Friday. The suspect was found dead at the scene.

Authorities said the list was found in the suspect's vehicle and included Whitmer, along with Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

"While the news reports are deeply troubling, we will not comment further on an ongoing criminal investigation. Gov. Whitmer has demonstrated repeatedly that she is tough, and she will not be bullied or intimidated from doing her job and working across the aisle to get things done for the people of Michigan," Whitmer's deputy chief of staff Zack Pohl said in a statement.

Retired Juneau County, Wisconsin, Judge John Roemer was shot and killed in his New Lisbon, Wisconsin, home, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The town of New Lisbon is just off Interstate 90/94 and about 28 miles northwest of the Wisconsin Dells.

Authorities discovered Roemer, 68, dead and another man with a self-inflicted gunshot wound in the basement.

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Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said the shooting appeared to be a targeted act. The suspect had other targets, Kaul said, who were “related to the judicial system.” He would not say how many targets there were, or identify them, but added that the other “targets” were notified and “are safe at this point.”

On Friday, about 6:30 a.m., Kaul said, a caller “exited the home” and called 911 from a nearby home. The caller said that there was an armed person and two shots were fired, Kaul said.

Kaul did not provide the caller’s relation to Roemer.

The Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Team entered Roemer’s house after failed attempts to negotiate with an armed person inside the home, where they discovered Roemer dead about 10:17 a.m. Law enforcement then discovered a 56-year-old man in the basement of the home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Officers attempted lifesaving measures on the man and he was transferred to a medical facility where he remains in critical condition, Kaul said.

Police did not identify the suspect. No other individuals were found in the residence.

Roemer was first elected to Juneau County Circuit Court in 2004. Circuit court judges serve six-year terms, and Roemer was reelected in 2010 and 2016, but resigned in August 2017, citing his wife’s declining health. His wife, Vivian Roemer, died in 2018. They had three sons.

The Milwaukee Journal contributed to this report. 

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer appeared on Wisconsin gunman's hit list