- WATCH: Newly released video footage shows what happened leading up to a deadly shooting at a Mobil gas station on Commercial Street on August 2 in Neenah.
- Nathan J. Briese, 37, was shot and killed after police tried to arrest him
- Sheboygan County investigated the shooting because too many local law enforcement officials were involved to investigate themselves
- The findings of the investigation were released in a document you can view here
- Correction: In our original on-air reporting, we stated that Briese bought drugs from an undercover officer, but this was an error. The officer performed a controlled purchase of drugs from Briese, not the other way around. We have uploaded a video with this corrected information.
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story, but with the inclusion of a corrected line about Briese's controlled drug purchase.)
This heart-stopping video from inside the Mobil gas station on Commercial Street was just released after a lengthy investigation.
I’m your Neenah neighborhood reporter Darby McCarthy, and two and a half months after officers opened fire on a suspect they were investigating, we are finally seeing the moments that led up to the deadly shooting.
And a warning: the video could be tough to watch for some.
You can see 37-year-old Nathan J. Briese of Neenah drive up to the Mobil gas station on Commercial Street just before 4:42 p.m. on August 2.
The investigation shows undercover officers performed a controlled purchase of drugs from Briese — a wanted felon — earlier that day. And they were planning to arrest him a short time later.
Watch as police enter the Mobil gas station and call out Briese’s name.
"Nate Briese, get on the ground!!"
You can see him run away from police toward the coolers, and that's when the report states he was seen reaching for a gun.
The video has been paused to show the moment Briese reaches into his waistband.
That's when the report also says officers opened fire on Briese, killing him.
According to the autopsy, his cause of death was four gunshot wounds to his head, torso, and "extremity."
According to the investigation, Briese was known for escaping police before, so their initial plan was to try to arrest him in an “open-air situation."
But then the report states “Surveillance units advised it was a good opportunity to arrest Briese as he stopped at the gas station, exited his vehicle alone and entered the store.”
It also states that “Investigator #2 further advised that he and his team were informed that there did not appear to be anyone else in the gas station other than the clerk since there were not a lot of vehicles present.”
The investigation was conducted by the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department because too many local authorities were involved with the Winnebago County MEG unit, and so they would not have been able to provide an unbiased investigation.
We reached out to the Neenah Police Department, Appleton Police Department, and the Wisconsin Department of Justice to find out why the decision was made to attempt the arrest of the felon inside of the store with a clerk and without confirmation that no other people were inside.
Neenah police said they were not directly involved and had no comment. We haven't heard back yet from Appleton police or the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
The report states that investigations concluded that investigators were responsible and that no criminal charges would be issued to the officers involved.
