PESHTIGO (NBC 26) — The Dane County sheriffs on Tuesday provided more details on the circumstances leading up to a deadly use of force incident near Peshtigo.
Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said the 23-year-old man who was shot and killed by Marinette police officers on Friday was a suspect in the murder of a 70-year-old man in the Town of Mazomanie the day before.
The 70-year-old, identified by the medical examiner as Thomas Muckler, had traveled from his home in Madison to his cabin on Dunlap Hollow Road in Mazomanie, Barrett said. After arriving in his cabin, he was killed by the younger man, who had broken into the house and had been living there for an unknown period of time, according to Barrett.
When Muckler did not return to Madison for dinner, the family grew concerned and went to the cabin, according to Barrett, where they discovered the victim.
Barrett said Muckler's car, a white Hyundai SUV, was missing from the scene.
The following day, officers in Marinette spotted the SUV and attempted to pull it over. But officials say the driver sped off and led them south on US-41.
Eventually, the car crashed near the intersection of US-41 and Schacht Road.
The driver exited the vehicle and approached officers. The Wisconsin Department of Justice says a Marinette County Sheriff's Office deputy tried to use a taser on the suspect, which did not work. Then, two officers with the Marinette Police Department shot the driver.
The DOJ says a sharp-edged weapon was found at the scene.
Law enforcement officers and emergency workers performed life-saving measures after shots were fired and the man was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The Marinette Police Department officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave.
All involved law enforcement are fully cooperating with the investigation, the DOJ says.
This story was updated on Sep. 2. to include newly released information
