UPDATE: Thursday, June 26, 2008 --- 2:50 p.m.

CRANDON, Wis. (AP) -- An attorney says Forest County has denied claims seeking millions of dollars for the families of young people fatally gunned down by an off-duty sheriff's deputy.

Charles Bohl said Wednesday the county took no action on the claims within 120 days, which means they were automatically denied under state law.

Bohl, an attorney for the county's liability insurance company, says the denial means the families can now file civil lawsuits if they desire.

The notices of claim alleged negligence by Tyler Peterson's employers contributed to the shooting rampage last October that killed six young people at a party in Crandon. Peterson later committed suicide.

The families' attorney did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Friday, May 30, 2008 --- 6:25 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Newly released text messages between a 20-year-old sheriff's deputy and his on again, off again girlfriend show the angst he felt in the day before he killed her and five others in Crandon last fall.

The state Justice Department released text messages yesterday that show Tyler Peterson went on clinging to 18-year-old Jordanne Murray, even as she told him she needed time to sort out her feelings. He told her that his worst fear was losing her to someone else.

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UPDATED Thursday, May 8 --- 1:50pm

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The state Justice Department has released new documents confirming an off-duty deputy who killed six people shot himself as he fled police last fall.

Forest County Sheriff's Deputy Tyler Peterson gunned down six people with an assault rifle at a Crandon party last October.

Investigators say he shot himself in the head three times in the woods hours later as police closed in. Questions have swirled about how Peterson could have shot himself three times.

The Justice Department released a summary Thursday of Peterson's autopsy that showed only one of the shots damaged Peterson's brain. Soot rings were found around the entrance wounds, suggesting the shots were fired at close range.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Updated Friday --- February 8, 2008 -- 8:50am

MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The state Justice Department's final report on the fatal shootings in Crandon shows hints of violence in the gunman's past.

Tyler Peterson took the lives of his ex-girlfriend and five others before killing himself last October.

Charlie Neitzel was the only one who survived the shooting at a Crandon apartment. He told investigators Peterson had been violent since fifth grade, beating up his cousin and throwing rocks. Neitzel says Peterson controlled his then-girlfriend, Jordanne Murray, pushing her around, stalking and harassing her in the weeks before the shootings.

The state investigation shows Peterson ripped the cable connectors out of the TV after fighting with Murray on the night she kicked him out of her apartment. Murray's father, Paul, who lived upstairs, says Peterson was uncontrollable and that police had to come to the apartment to calm him down.

Murray once told her employer, restaurant owner Sue Palubicki, that Peterson pushed her down, wouldn't let her participate in a wedding and that she needed his permission to go bowling.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Updated Thursday --- February 7, 2008 -- 8:25pm

Tyler Peterson's last call

(AP) -- Here are excerpts from the transcript of Tyler Peterson's call to Forest County District Attorney Leon Stenz from a friend's cabin where Peterson holed up after killing six people in Crandon. Peterson killed himself minutes after the call ended.

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Stenz: All right uh. You going to uh, let ... come into custody Tyler or -- what -- what do you need to talk to me about?

Peterson: It, it depends on the terms.

Stenz: All right. What would you like to know?

Peterson: Um ... All -- I guess I would like to see what kind of deal you would offer me first.

Stenz: What kind of deal in what respects?

Peterson: For ... charges.

Stenz: Well it's a little early at this point, Tyler. I don't even -- I'm just -- I'm just down here in Washington County. I don't even know what's happened so far. Uh ... an important thing at this point is that everybody gets safe and that you come into custody, we can work it out from there. Uh ---

Peterson: Well ... Leon. Everyone here is safe, they feel safe. I'll let you talk to anyone that's here.

...

Peterson: Leon, so what do you want? Leon?

Stenz: Tyler?

Peterson: Yea.

Stenz: Yea. You -- are you willing to give yourself up Tyler or?

Peterson: Yea --

Stenz: What do, what do you need?

Peterson: Conditions.

Stenz: Huh? What condition is that?

Peterson: Um. I'll keep the gun on me and it's not like I'm going to have it raised or anything like that -- I'm used to having a gun on me, and that's normal practice for me. Um, but ... I'm not going to go to Forest County.

Stenz: Yea. Well (sic) see -- You know, everybody makes, uh, bad decisions, Tyler. It's time to make the good one. Here's -- You know what goes on with these things, you know, you -- you -- you have to do something for us, you got to give us the gun. We can't -- How are we going to take you into custody when you got a gun?

Peterson: Leon, you guys have an armored vehicle --

Stenz: Well, that's for your --

Peterson: A 40 --

Stenz: -- That's for your protection.

Peterson: A 40 caliber can't even ... touch the paint on that.

Stenz: I mean we, we're trying to protect you, Tyler. We don't want nothing to happen to you.

Peterson: I understand what you're saying. But, in the same sense, I really don't trust everyone that's involved here.

Stenz: All right, what --

Peterson: There's a few people on the county that I trust --

Stenz: Uh huh. Who's that?

Peterson: -- And I don't trust any federal agencies. DCI, FBI, whatever, whoever's involved in this, I have zero trust in them.

...

Stenz: All right. Tyler I got to -- what -- what are you suggesting then? Tell me what you think you'd feel comfortable with.

Peterson: Driving to Oneida County.

Stenz: Would you be willing to do that?

Peterson: With everyone here.

Stenz: Well. Why -- you know, that's -- makes it, you know, Tyler, do you think that's a good decision? What, what is your concern? Why, why do you need everybody with you?

Peterson: That's the way I feel comfortable and --

Stenz: Well what, what makes you feel uncomfortable about going in a squad car?

...

(The issue was never resolved before the call ended with Stenz saying he wanted Peterson to call him back. Moments later Peterson was dead.)

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Source: Wisconsin Division of Criminal Investigation Case Report, Crandon Death Investigation.
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Updated Thursday --- February 7, 2008 -- 8:20pm

Families react to end of shooting investigation

WAUSAU, Wis. (AP) -- The state's investigation into the Crandon shoots is closed, but it hasn't satisfied everyone who was close to the six young people gunned down by an off-duty sheriff's deputy last October.

Wayne Coulter is the live-in boyfriend of Jenny Stahl, whose 14-year-old daughter Lindsey died in the rampage.

He says he can't believe the official conclusion that the killer, 20-year-old Tyler Peterson, committed suicide by shooting himself three times in the head as police closed in on him in some woods.

Details from the state investigation were released Thursday, including the official version that a sniper wounded Peterson in the arm before he shot himself twice in the chin and then shot himself again in the side of the head.

AP

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Updated Thursday --- February 7, 2008 -- 12:00pm

Justice Department: Deputy committed suicide after killing 6

MADISON, Wis. -- Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says no criminal charges will be brought as a result of anyone's interaction with Tyler Peterson from the time he killed 6 people in Crandon, injured another and then later took his own life.

Van Hollen released findings of the state investigation into the Crandon shooting Thursday.

He says Peterson, a sheriff's deputy, was wounded by a police sniper in the woods near a friend's house and then "apparently shot himself three times."

The lead state investigator, Bradley Kust, explained how Peterson could have shot himself in the head three times. He said in prepared remarks, that Peterson's first two shots entered his chin, but it was a third shot to the right side of his head that caused his death.

The DOJ's timeline says Peterson went to a house party in hopes of making up with ex-girlfriend Jordanne Murray during the early house of October 7th.

Asked to leave, Peterson got an assault rifle from his truck, went back inside and started shooting. He killed Murray and five of her friends. Another was injured but survived.

Peterson then fled to a friend's home. Hours later, he walked into woods where he was wounded in the left biceps by the sniper. The justice department's timeline says he then killed himself shortly after noon.

AP

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Posted Monday -- February 4, 2008

More families file claims in Crandon shootings

CRANDON, Wis. (AP) -- More families have filed claims seeking to hold the employers of a Forest County sheriff's deputy accountable for a shooting rampage that killed six young people and severely wounded another.

Forest County Clerk Ann Mihalko says 12 notices of claim were filed with her office Monday morning. The victims' estates and parents are seeking money from the county for their deaths.

Crandon City Attorney Lindsay Erickson says similar claims also were filed with the city. She says under state law, the local governments can either allow or disallow the claims.

Tyler Peterson, 20, gunned down six young people on Oct. 7 after he showed up at a house party in Crandon and was rebuffed in his attempts to make up with an ex-girlfriend.

Peterson was also a part-time Crandon police officer.

AP