St. Croix Deputy, 29, Killed During DUI Stop: WI DOJ

ST. CROIX COUNTY, WI — Family, friends, and community members are mourning after a deputy with the St. Croix County Sheriff's Office was shot and killed during a DUI traffic stop on Saturday evening.

At about 6:15 p.m., Deputy Kaitie Leising, 29, was dispatched for a report of a potential drunk driver in a ditch in Glenwood, Wisconsin. Glenwood is about an hour's drive east of St. Paul, Minnesota.

At the scene, Leising found the driver of the vehicle in a ditch, identified by authorities as Jeremiah D. Johnson, 34. There were also bystanders at the scene who had stopped to help with the crash.

Leising asked Johnson to participate in field sobriety tests before returning to his vehicle.

Johnson was "evasive" and after approximately 8 minutes of dialogue, Johnson turned toward Leising, drew a handgun, and shot her, according to the Wisconsin Department of Justice. The shooting was captured on a body camera.

After she was hit, Leising fired her weapon three times, but none of the rounds hit Johnson, authorities said.

Johnson then fled to the nearby wooded area. The bystanders immediately began lifesaving measures on Leising. She was then transported to a local hospital, where she died.

About an hour after the shooting, officers heard a gunshot in the woods and saw Johnson fall to the ground, according to authorities. He died at the scene.

No members of law enforcement fired their weapons during the search, and a handgun was found near Johnson's body, investigators said.

Leising's body was escorted Sunday from the Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office to a funeral home in a law enforcement procession. Deputies and offices are standing vigil by her side until services are complete.

Funeral services have not been released.

"Our love and condolences go out to the family of Katie Leising and all those with whom she served," St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson said in a statement.

"We, as a law enforcement family, will do everything possible to continue to provide support and comfort her family. We will miss her infectious smile and personality. She will be missed by all she touched."

Leising's death marks the third killing of a western Wisconsin law enforcement officer in less than a month.