KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis. — A handful of deputies from two counties and Wisconsin State Troopers are on leave for shooting a suspect who fled Racine County into the Kenosha County area, allegedly leading authorities on a police chase into a field.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice offered a formal statement on the Jan. 16 shooting that claimed the life of an unidentified driver. Their investigation found that the suspect forced a Racine County deputy into a pursuit round 3:30 p.m. CST on Monday afternoon.
During the pursuit, the driver crossed over into Kenosha County, leading Racine County deputies to call for backup from the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and Wisconsin State Patrol. Each of the agencies responded and helped with the pursuit until the vehicle crashed on the 18000-block of 1st St in Paris Township.
That’s where the suspect allegedly fled from the damaged vehicle into a nearby field. Authorities from all three agencies equipped themselves with firearms and approached the field, prompting the suspect to exit from the field.
According to the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, the suspect pointed a firearm at the officers, leading them to shoot and critically injure this individual. They were transported to an area hospital, where they were later declared dead.
The Justice Department is investigating the details of this case, but confirmed that the suspect was equipped with a firearm. There are no details to suggest the suspect shot at any law enforcement officials, and no officers were injured during the confrontation.
Now, deputies from both Racine County and Kenosha County, as well as WSP Troopers involved in the shooting, have been placed on administrative leave so the incident can be properly investigated.
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