DA: No “specific timeline” on charging decision for officers in Quadren Wilson shooting

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - After five months the Dane County Sheriff’s Office says their job is done in the investigation into an officer involved shooting that happened in Madison. They say Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne now has everything he requested in order to make the decision on whether charges will be filed against two DCI agents who shot Quadren Wilson back on Feb. 3.

DA Ozanne confirming his office received the final report electronically from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, though he did not know it was sent until Tuesday after speaking with detectives. Ozanne says he continues to review materials in the investigation and understands the interest the community has on the case, but he says he has no “specific timeline” for when he will make a charging decision on whether or not he thinks the shooting was justified.

“I have always been committed to taking the time needed to make the right decision not a rushed decision. That has not changed here. While I hope to have information for this community in the near future I do not have a specific timeline for you today,” says Ozanne.

According to unsealed search warrants, officers say they thought Wilson fired first, but since the arrest, investigators have confirmed Quadren Wilson was unarmed at the time he was taken into custody. Quadren Wilson’s family says law enforcement officers shot Wilson five times after they stopped his car in Madison on Feb. 3 and tried to arrest him on a drug violation. Wilson survived his wounds.

The Sheriff’s Office sent out a press release more than a month ago saying they had completed their investigation onto Wilson’s case and had turned everything over to the DA’s office. But last month at a Dane County board meeting, two board members criticized the DA’s office for taking too long to make a charging decision, saying taking this long to make a decision was unjust.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” said Supervisor Tim Kiefer. He says the case still being open doesn’t fair well for the entire county.

“I think it looks bad for our county. I think it makes law enforcement look bad. I think it makes the DAs office look bad. I think it’s troubling that the idea that someone can be shot in the back five times by law enforcement officers and four and a half months later, there’s still no answers to it. It makes it seem like there’s at least the possibility there’s a lack of accountability a lack of transparency in local government here in Dane county,” says Kiefer.

That’s when DA Ozanne pointed fingers at the Sheriff’s Office saying he was still waiting on one evidentiary follow up requests in the possession of DCSO.

When asked if his office had turned everything over, this is what Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said:

It is not uncommon when cases are referred to the District Attorney’s Office that the DA may request additional follow-up. As previously stated in our June 1 press release, our investigation into the office-involved shooting was very thorough and detailed. The District Attorney did have small number of evidentiary follow-up requests. The investigators have completed all but one of the requests and we expect to have the follow-up completed within the next few weeks.

On Monday Dane County Sheriff’s PIO Elise Schaffer confirmed that final report is now in the hands of the DA.

NBC15 has reached out to Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne to find out when he is expected to make a charging decision. We are still waiting on a response.

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