2 Men In Their 70s Killed In Washington County 'Random' Shooting

WASHINGTON COUNTY, WI—An elderly man who took out a gun for protection was overpowered and fatally shot by a man who had crashed a stolen car in Washington County on Wednesday, according to the Washington County Sheriff's office. A second elderly man was killed with a shotgun outside his garage shortly afterwards.

Washington County Sheriff’s Office investigators released more details on what occurred on Forest View Road in the Town of Kewaskum on Wednesday afternoon which resulted in the deaths of three Washington County men.

The sheriff's office said all of the victims were random and unknown to the 30-year-old City of West Bend suspect.

On Wednesday afternoon, the suspect stole a car in the City of West Bend. The suspect crashed the car in a roll-over accident on Forest View Road north of Ridge Road in the Town of Kewaskum, officials said. The suspect was able to free himself from the wreckage and forced himself into an unoccupied home near the crash, according to a news release.

A woman came upon the accident and pulled over to check to see if anyone needed help. The suspect assaulted the woman and he attempted to take her car and crashed it while leaving the driveway, officials said.

He then ran into another home in the 8100 block of Forest View Road and forced his way through a locked front door and encountered the homeowners, officials said. After getting the couple's car keys, he went back inside and physically assaulted them, officials said.

He then the home in an attempt to steal the car. Officials said the male homeowner retrieved a handgun for protection but was overpowered by the suspect who fatally shot the 72-year-old man.

Officials said he also attempted to shoot the woman but the firearm did not fire.

The suspect then fled to another residence in the 8200 block of Forest View Road where he found another person. He obtained a shotgun in the home and fatally shot the 77-year-old male resident just outside his garage, officials said. The suspect then fled the residence.

Deputies found the armed suspect on Forest View Road near the scene of the second death as he was leaving that area, officials said. The deputy and the suspect exchanged gunfire and the suspect was struck, officials said.

A perimeter was established and a drone located the suspect dead from an apparent gunshot wound. A firearm was also located near him.

The deputy who fired his gun is a nine-year veteran of Washington County law enforcement and has been placed on administrative leave as a standard protocol pending the outcome of the independent investigation, officials said.

He was not injured as a result of this incident.

Sheriff Schulteis said, “This horrific incident has struck this community and our agency at its core. We lost two valuable members of our community at the hands of this senseless crime spree. Their absence will impact many and we mourn with you. Our thoughts, prayers, and sympathies go out to the surviving victims and families of the deceased whose lives are forever changed. There are many more questions to be answered as to why this occurred. I assure the community that investigators are working diligently to be able to provide those answers. In the meantime, we ask that the public respect the privacy of the victims and their families and allow them to grieve.”

Sheriff Schulteis finally added, “Our deputies never want to be placed in the position where they are required to use lethal force against our citizens. I am proud of the overwhelming law enforcement call to action which no doubt mitigated further violence from occurring; however, that does not provide peace to the loved ones of our victims.

I believe the deputy’s actions were tragically necessary to protect the deputy and the community he took an oath to protect. Ultimately the independent investigation will be forwarded to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office to review, but our deputy’s actions ended a murderous rampage within our community.”

The Wisconsin Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the officer-involved shooting.