DOJ: Wausau Shootings an Isolated Incident with One Suspect

The incident stemmed from a domestic dispute

WAUSAU, Wis. – The area of Wausau and Rothschild were struck by tragedy yesterday, when four victims, including an officer of the Everest Metropolitan Police Department, were shot dead.

At approximately 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, law enforcement received the report of an active shooter in Rothschild. The suspect visited the Marathon Savings Bank, killing two civilians, and a law office in Schofield, killing one civilian. The suspect then barricaded himself in an apartment in Weston. After a few hours of negotiation, the suspect then exchanged gunfire with responding officers and was injured.

The suspect, a 45-year-old male resident of Weston, was transported to a local hospital after sustaining a non-fatal gunshot wound. He remains in police custody and will be prosecuted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice Criminal Litigation Unit. Authorities have identified that the suspect was motivated by a domestic incident, not a bank robbery.

More information on the suspect will be released in the near future.

A law enforcement officer with the Marathon County Sheriff’s Office’s tactical team and an officer with the Everest Metropolitan Police Department were involved in the exchange of gunfire that resulted in the suspect’s injury. The officers have been placed on paid, administrative leave, pending an investigation by the DOJ – Division of Criminal Investigation.

The DOJ has announced this was an isolated incident with one suspect, and that law enforcement has identified this as a domestic violence incident that evolved into tragic crimes.

The officer whom lost his life has been identified as Detective Jason T. Weiland, and had spent the last 15 years on the Everest Metropolitan Police Department. He was 40 years old. A memorial fund has been established through Intercity State Bank, donations can be made under the name of “Weiland Memorial Fund.”

The civilian victims have been identified as Dianne M. Look, 67, Karen L Barclay, 62, and Sara H. Quirt Sann, 43. No other individuals were physically harmed in the shootings.

Businesses involved in the shootings are currently closed until further notice.

Fourteen local agencies responded to the shooting.