Charges Filed, Following ‘Firearm Call’ Sunday in Superior

SUPERIOR, Wisc. – A 19-year-old is in custody for threatening his friends with a pistol during a night of drinking, according to Superior Police.

On Sunday, Superior Police responded to an apartment on the 1800 block of Iowa St in the Billings Park neighborhood around 8:46 p.m. for what the criminal complaint described as originally for, “an unwanted guest, but changed to a firearm call.”

The caller, later identified as a resident of the apartment, told dispatch that his friend was very intoxicated, had a ‘Glock 9,’ and was being aggressive with the pistol. Dispatch learned that there were five people in the apartment before the call disconnected.

When the first officer arrived, he reported hearing what he believed was a gunshot, though he couldn’t tell which direction the sound came from. The officer had his duty rifle in hand when he approached the apartment building, according to the complaint.
Two males, one of them being the 911 caller, exited the building and told police that two female friends were still inside with their male friend who had the pistol. According to the complaint, they identified the male with the pistol as 19-year-old Leo Vaclav Mallett.

One of the females later exited the building and allegedly told police, “he’s shooting everywhere upstairs.”
Officers made entry into the building, and as they climbed the interior stairs, they reported hearing a gunshot from inside the apartment unit. The criminal complaint said police forced their way into the unit and found Mallett standing in the hallway with a pistol in his hand.

Mallett followed officers’ commands and was taken into custody without incident. He was given a preliminary breath test (PBT) at the scene, which showed 0.289, according to the criminal complaint. Police obtained a warrant for Mallett’s blood, which was collected at Essentia Hospital.

Police interviews with the four other people who were in the apartment show they and Mallet recently moved into the apartment together.

Earlier in the evening, the group had been watching the Super Bowl drinking at one of their relative’s homes. Mallett appeared to have drunk a considerable amount by the time the group was headed back to their apartment, according to statements in the criminal complaint.

Mallett’s four friends have statements that differ slightly when it comes to the car ride back to their apartment, but at some point during the ride, all claimed become aware that Mallett had a pistol. The group claimed that at one point during the ride, they heard something that sounded to some like a mechanical issue with the car, and others like a gunshot.

When confronted by his friends in the car, Mallett denied having a gun and appeared confused, according to the criminal complaint. The group said they didn’t continue to push Mallett because appeared heavily intoxicated, and they didn’t want to make him angry.

Later investigation of the vehicle did not locate any bullet holes in the floor or ceiling, though did locate an unfired 9mm round under the front passenger seat.

Mallett’s friends said that when they returned to the apartment, Mallett began yelling at himself and breaking things.
One of the males told police that he tried to calm Mallett down, but he continued to get angry. Mallett allegedly pointed the pistol at his friend, who asked if Mallett was going to shoot him.

The two were separated by one of the females running into the room, but then shot a round out of the bedroom window, according to the group’s statements.

When one of the friends called 911, Mallett came into the room which caused the friend to hang up on the dispatcher.
Officers searched the area around the building but did not locate any fired shell casings.

The criminal complaint said that police interviewed Mallett at the jail. Mallett said that he remembered going to watch the Super Bowl and drinking, but did not remember the drive back to their apartment. He denied owning a gun, but when police asked if he had access to one, he allegedly said, “Possibly.”

Superior Police claimed in their report that Mallett had a protection order against him from Minnesota. Police said the order bars Mallett from possessing firearms.

A Minnesota court records search showed that some of Mallett’s immediate family members filed a protection order in May of 2024. The order followed a series of alleged incidents, in which his family stated they received repeated violent threats from Mallett.