Officer in ‘good condition’ after accidental shooting on Highway 29

BROWN COUNTY, Wis. (WBAY) - UPDATE 12/8:

A Hobart-Lawrence Police Officer remains hospitalized Thursday after an accidental shooting during a traffic stop on Highway 29. Hobart officials say the officer is in good condition.

The officer’s name is not being released at this time by the police. The seven-year veteran of the department accidentally shot his service pistol at the scene of an incident on the highway Wednesday.

Hobart-Lawrence Police Captain Michael Renkas, Hobart Village Administrator Aaron Kramer, and Lawrence Administrator Patrick Wenzel held a news conference Thursday to give an update on the case.

“We see this officer every day when he’s on duty. I know this is a difficult time, the time of the year. This is not just a professional blow to us, but it was a personal blow to us,” Kramer said. “The main thing is we thank the people of both the village and the town who’ve already received numerous expressions of support this morning.”

Police say it started as a welfare check on a driver. The officer attempted to make a traffic stop on the driver, a 30-year-old Hobart man, on the highway. The officer was hurt as a result of “an accidental discharge” of the officer’s gun.

“It’s important to stress that the officer was not in contact or near the suspect at the time of the discharge,” Renkas said.

Renkas says Hobart-Lawrence officers use Sig Sauer firearms. Wounded officers from several states have sued Sig Sauer, claiming the gun goes off by itself. Our sister station, WISN-TV, reports there have been four other law enforcement accidental discharge incidents involving the same brand of handgun just in southeastern Wisconsin. Renkas could not yet say if the shooting was tied to the gun or the officer.

“At this point in time, outlining if it would be a firearm deficiency or an officer deficiency without getting into the review, I think would be a little premature,” said Capt. Renkas, “and saying it would be one of the other, we have no other unintentional or accidental discharges though.”

Officers’ bodycam video, dashcam footage from the squad cars, and officers’ statements will all be included in the internal investigation.

Criminal charges are pending against the driver, whose name was not released. Police say the driver is under protective custody. Renkas said the charges would not come from the accidental shooting.

“The incident and the circumstances surrounding the injury to our officer are currently under investigation,” according to Renkas. “We have considerable resources and evidence to analyze and review, and that process is underway and ongoing. I would like to thank the Brown County Sheriff’s Department, Brown County Communications Center, Green Bay Police Department, Oneida Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol, County Rescue and the Brown County Highway Department for the assistance they provided during and following the incident. We also appreciate the patience of the motorists who were delayed and detoured because of this event.”

“Our primary concern at this time is the recovery and well-being of our officer,” said Village Administrator Aaron Kramer. “We are focused on making sure he and his family receive the assistance they need during this difficult time. The public support for the officer and the Department is very much appreciated by all of us with the Village of Hobart and Town of Lawrence.”

This all unfolded Wednesday afternoon, creating a mess for drivers in both directions of Highway 29. The traffic backed up for miles in Brown County just east of County Highway FF (Hillside Road), where the driver of a silver car stopped after trying to flee the officer.

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Hobart-Lawrence Investigator Dan Van Lanen says the police department was asked to check on the welfare of a 30-year-old Hobart man at about 8 a.m. Wednesday.

“It was for an individual who had some erratic behavior that some individuals were concerned about,” Renkas said. He could not elaborate further on the nature of the erratic behavior.

They didn’t find him. Then, at about 1 in the afternoon, police spotted him and his silver car.

“They saw the male on the highway and they tried to stop him. A pursuit took place,” Van Lanen said.

It ended a couple of miles later near County FF, where the driver stopped and barricaded himself in the car alongside the highway. Officers from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and Hobart-Lawrence Police Department responded.

Van Lanen believed the officer was shot in the hip or his hip area. Investigators aren’t sure if the officer’s gun discharged before or after the man barricaded himself in the car.

The Hobart man initially refused to get out of the car.

“We had a lot of different resources there. It was a lengthy call. After the man was stopped, he wouldn’t get out of the car, so we had a barricaded subject. We just got him into custody in the last few minutes,” Van Lanen said during our interview.

He said the Hobart man could potentially be charged with eluding an officer. Police told us they’ve had prior contact with the Hobart man, so he is known to police. Authorities did not publicly identify him.

Eastbound Highway 29 was closed from about 1:30 Wednesday afternoon until just before 5 p.m.

INITIAL REPORT

A Hobart-Lawrence police officer is recovering after accidentally shooting himself following a chase and standoff on Highway 29 west of Green Bay.

The officer, who hasn’t been named, is 36 years old and a 7-year veteran of the Hobart-Lawrence Police Department. He was taken to a Green Bay hospital and is expected to be OK.

This all unfolded Wednesday afternoon, creating a mess for drivers in both directions of Highway 29. The traffic backed up for miles in Brown County just east of County Highway FF (Hillside Road), where the driver of a silver car stopped after trying to flee officer.

Hobart-Lawrence Investigator Dan Van Lanen says the police department was asked to check on the welfare of a 30-year-old Hobart man at about 8 a.m. Wednesday. They didn’t find him. Then, at about 1 in the afternoon, police spotted him and his silver car.

“They saw the male on the highway and they tried to stop him. A pursuit took place,” Van Lanen said.

It ended a couple of miles later near County FF, where the driver stopped and barricaded himself in the car alongside the highway. Officers from the Brown County Sheriff’s Office and Hobart-Lawrence Police Department responded.

“When officers were getting the male stopped, one of them had an accidental discharge of his firearm to himself. He was taken to a hospital with-non life-threatening injuries,” Van Lanen said.

A viewer sent us a video from the scene in which officers appeared to be attending to someone down on the highway.

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Van Lanen believed the officer was shot in the hip or his hip area. Investigators aren’t sure if the officer’s gun discharged before or after the man barricaded himself in the car.

The Brown County Sheriff’s Office will likely investigate the weapon discharge. We’re told all officers wear body cameras, so he was wearing one at the time of the accidental shooting, and the squad cars have dashcam videos that will be looked at as part of the investigation.

The Hobart man initially refused to get out of the car.

“We had a lot of different resources there. It was a lengthy call. After the man was stopped, he wouldn’t get out of the car, so we had a barricaded subject. We just got him into custody in the last few minutes,” Van Lanen said during our interview.

He said the Hobart man could potentially be charged with eluding an officer. Police told us they’ve had prior contact with the Hobart man, so he is known to police. Authorities did not publicly identify him.

Eastbound Highway 29 was closed from about 1:30 Wednesday afternoon until just before 5 p.m.

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