A 57-year-old Oshkosh man who had been reported as suicidal in a 911 call before an officer-involved shooting incident Thursday in the town of Algoma is recovering at a local hospital, according to Winnebago County Sheriff John Matz.
The man, Richard Klemz, allegedly rammed the front of a squad car and struck a private citizen's vehicle in the Algoma Town Hall parking lot prior to the encounter, Matz said.
"His actions put citizens in danger," said Matz, who added that charges will be filed after Klemz is released from the hospital.
At 3:19 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10 the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance at a residence on County Road E in the town of Algoma. The disturbance involved Klemz, who left in a vehicle prior to officers arriving at the residence, according to Martz.
Officers located the vehicle near the intersection of Witzel Avenue and Oakwood Road, Martz said. Klemz rammed a Sheriff’s Office squad car, then entered the parking lot at the Algoma Town Hall, striking a private citizen’s vehicle. After this, shots were fired by a Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office deputy and an Oshkosh police officer.
There was never a chase or pursuit of Klemz’s vehicle and it was never an active shooter incident, Metz said.
The Department of Justice Division of Criminal Investigation is handling the officer involved shooting, Martz said. DCI has many witnesses to speak with and videos to view, and this will take some time. Both the deputy and officer who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative leave, which is common practice for this type of incident.
Martz said the person who called 911 told dispatch that Klemz was “extremely suicidal. He wants to die. He love it if the police will kill him; I want you to know that, he would love to die by suicide by cop.”
This information was provided to the 911 operator by the original caller after the officer involved shooting incident occurred, Martz said.
