A former Wisconsin judge was shot and killed in what is believed to be a “targeted act against the judicial system.”
According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, local officers responded to reports of gunfire early Friday at a home in New Lisbon, located about 80 miles outside of Madison. Authorities say the Juneau County Special Tactics and Response Team spent four hours trying to negotiate with a gunman who was inside the home. They eventually entered the residence at around 10:15 a.m., and found former county judge John Roemer zip-tied to a chair and fatally shot. A 56-year-old suspect, who has yet to be publicly identified, was also located in the home’s basement with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“Law enforcement began life-saving measures, and the individual was transported to a medical facility,” the Department of Justice announced Friday. “A firearm was recovered at the scene. This incident appears to be a targeted act. There is no immediate danger to the public.”
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said the suspect, who remains in critical condition, appears to have had other high-profile targets who are “related to the judicial system.”
“So far the information that’s been gathered indicates that it was a targeted act and the targeting was based on some sort of court case or court cases,” Kaul said.
Sources told CNN those targeted individuals included Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
“Yesterday our office was notified by law enforcement officials that Governor Whitmer’s name appeared on the Wisconsin gunman’s list,” the governor’s office told CNN. While the news reports are deeply troubling, we will not comment further on an ongoing criminal investigation.”
Kaul said the investigation is ongoing, and is being handled as a homicide and a possible domestic terrorism case. Stay tuned as more information becomes available.
