Chief: Superior police officer shot, suspect shot before slamming van into middle school

SUPERIOR, Wis. – A superior police officer was shot multiple times Sunday during an early morning traffic stop involving a domestic dispute, according to Superior Police Chief Paul Winterschiedt.

The officer fought back with gunfire even after taking on the bullets.

Superior police vehicle window shot out by suspect, according to chief

The suspected shooter, a 28-year-old man from Solon Springs and with strong ties to Superior, was shot by a second officer, according to Winterschiedt.

The injured officer and the suspect were treated and released from the hospital Sunday.

The suspect was then lodged in the Douglas County Jail while he awaits possible formal charges from the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office.

“Shocking. We all know that this is a reality of the job. Bullets travel just as fast in Superior, Wisconsin as they do in any other city in the country. The danger is there,” Winterschiedt explained at a press conference Sunday afternoon.

There are two pieces to this shooting investigation that affect the community of Superior. The first part is the police officer surviving after being hit by gunfire. The second part involves the Superior School District — but not directly.

Vehicle into middle school. Courtesy: Carlton County Fire News on Facebook

Chief Winterschiedt stressed that the middle school was not a target.  He said the middle school just happened to be the landing point of the suspect after the nearby officer-involved shooting.

At 2:45 a.m. Sunday, police were responding to a domestic dispute call.  An officer then spotted the suspect’s vehicle — a white van — near the intersection of Tower Avenue and North 37th Street — near Walmart.

During the traffic stop, the suspect exited the van and began shooting at the officer with a semi-automatic rifle. That officer had not yet gotten out of her police SUV, according to officials.

Chief Winterschiedt said the officer was still able to return fire after behind hit.

A second officer arrived on scene and opened fire on the suspect who was fleeing the scene in the van toward the middle school, according to police.

Surveillance image of suspect in Superior middle school after shooting

The van ended up ramming through the front doors of the school.

FOX 21, with the help of Carlton County Fire News on Facebook, obtained a surveillance image of the suspect inside the Superior Middle School that shows him in a hallway with a rifle strapped to his body.

Chief Winterschiedt confirmed to FOX 21 that the surveillance image appears to be authentic based off the same surveillance video he had reviewed.

The suspect then remained inside the school for four hours before coming out to be arrested without incident around 7 a.m., according to Winterschiedt.

“An officer took a bullet for the people of Superior today, I’m extremely proud of the work of this department, especially the responding officers, and I’m very grateful for the many agencies that responded with our officers without hesitation that came to superior to help us out,” said Superior Mayor Jim Paine.

Winterschiedt said he could not remember a time in his 20 years on the department that an officer was shot in the line of duty.  He said it’s rare, but when it does happen, officers are trained to respond in a way to stop the deadly force and protect lives, including their own.

“We practice this very scenario where officers had to exit their squad car and engage target, so we take this training seriously. Today, it paid off. Probably saved a life,” Winterschiedt said. “There are people who would cause harm anywhere. We think of Superior as a small community we are. We’re a safe community … these things can happen anywhere.”

Scene of officer-involved shooting

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office, and the State Patrol of Wisconsin and Minnesota provided mutual aid, including more than two dozen members of the Duluth Police Department.

Duluth Mayor Roger Reinert released the following statement Sunday:

“No community wants to see this kind of gun violence, and no mayor wants to get news of an officer wounded. I’m proud of the 26 DPD team members who went across the bridge to assist our neighbors today. Duluth sends Superior our prayers for the injured officer’s quick recovery, and a pledge that we’ll always be there to help. The Twin Ports is ONE community.”

Chief Winterschiedt said all three officers who immediately responded to the shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave, which is standard protocol for officer-involved shootings. He said they are considered victims in this crime, which is why their names are not immediately being released.

Vehicle into middle school. Courtesy: Carlton County Fire News on FB

He said the officer who was shot and shot back at the suspect was on the job for almost four years.  The second shooting officer has been on the job for about 1.5 years. And the third officer who placed his squad car in the line of fire to help the wounded officer has been on the job for almost two years.

“They all handled themselves like seasoned veteran officers,” Winterschiedt told FOX 21 Sunday.

Winterschiedt told FOX 21 he will release body camera video of the shooting when the Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation gives the OK.

Superior School District Superintendent Amy Starzecki said Monday classes at the middle school will be an e-learning day to minimize disruption and prioritize the “emotional well-being of every person.”

Supt. Starzecki also frowned against the sharing of the surveillance image of the suspect inside the school — the one FOX 21 used in its broadcast and after confirming it to appear authentic through the Superior Police Department.

“I must address the images circulating on social media that appear to capture parts of the incident within our school hallways. Sharing these graphic visuals is unhelpful and can unnecessarily increase anxiety and fear among our students, staff, and families. I strongly urge everyone to refrain from sharing them out of respect for our community’s well-being.” Starzecki said.

In response to criticism about the use of the surveillance image, FOX 21’s Dan Hanger explained the journalistic decision behind the use of the image.

“As a journalist of 20 years, the surveillance image of a gunman inside a school is news. Yes, upsetting or uncomfortable for locals to see an armed gunman in their school. But this is the reality of the world we are living in. Censoring it does not help, especially from a news organization. It’s simply a reality of what happened at the school — and everybody feels emotion because of that reality of truth. You can censor the news to your family — that’s your right. But journalism is about truth, providing the accurate truth in writing and visuals, and letting the public decide what to do with it. The public should know just how serious an incident is to public safety in their community — and this surveillance image clearly depicts just how serious this was on a, thankfully, day off from school.” — FOX 21’s Dan Hanger