CHETEK, Wis. — Leaders around Wisconsin are reacting to the deaths of a Chetek Police Officer and a Cameron Police Officer after a traffic stop turned deadly on Saturday.
Wisconsin’s Attorney General, Josh Kaul, said he is keeping the families of the officers in his thoughts.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic loss today of two officers,” Kaul said in a tweet Saturday evening. “I am thinking of their families and the Chetek and Cameron Police Departments at this incredibly difficult time.”
The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office shared similar sentiments as Kaul on Facebook: “The Marinette County Sheriff’s Office would like to send our thoughts and prayers to the Village of Cameron and the City of Chetek Police Departments in Barron County and the families of two officers lost in the line of duty.”
Sen. Tammy Baldwin also addressed the incident and expressed her condolences via Twitter saying, “My heart goes out to the family, friends, & Barron County community who are mourning the tragic loss of the Chetek & Cameron police officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice protecting our state. I thank them for their service & send my heartfelt condolences to those grieving.”
Other statements from community leaders as well as WTMJ’s original reporting can be found below:
ORIGINAL REPORTING: Two police officers have been killed following a shooting in Barron County Saturday.
The shooting took place around 3:38pm near the city of Chetek according to a press release. A police officer was conducting a traffic stop when the suspect shot at the officer. A second officer from the neighboring community of Cameron also arrived and exchanged gunfire. Both officers were killed, while the suspect, who is being called the “involved individual” was taken to a local hospital before dying from injuries sustained during the incident.
An investigation is underway into the situation being led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI). Several other agencies responded to the incident and are assisting in the investigation.
The identity of those killed, including both officers, remain unknown.