The Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, is reviewing an officer-involved shooting Monday in the City of Whitewater, according to a news release from the Walworth County Sheriff’s Office.
The officer-involved shooting, which stemmed from a domestic dispute between a man and his ex-wife, happened around 5:30 a.m. when the 32-year-old Whitewater man pointed a handgun at a Walworth County Sheriff’s deputy near a Fraternity Lane residence.
The deputy, investigators revealed, fired at the 32-year-old man and struck him.
“A loaded handgun was found in his possession,” a Sheriff’s Office news release stated. “The suspect was immediately treated by officers at the scene with a trauma first aid kit equipment and transported to a local trauma center.”
Authorities said the man will survive and names of all involved are not being released pending the ongoing investigation.
Deputies involved in this shooting have been placed on administrative duty as standard protocol.
No other individuals were injured during the shooting, which according to authorities, started as an argument between the man and ex-wife at around 8:20 p.m. the previous night.
Authorities were initially called to the scene near Fraternity Lane for reports of a man allegedly threatening to kill his ex-wife.
“This male allegedly made statements to his ex-wife about killing her and then killing himself with a gun,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Officers from the City of Whitewater, Walworth County Sheriff’s Office and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater searched overnight for the suspect.
Shortly before 4 a.m. Monday, authorities said they received a 911 call from the ex-wife, who reported a man had broken into her apartment on Fraternity Lane.
“As she hid in the apartment the male left after he was unsuccessful in locating her. The City of Whitewater Police investigated and found fresh damage of a break-in at the apartment along with a live round of ammunition at the scene, consistent with earlier reports,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Authorities from all three jurisdictions eventually found a man matching the suspect’s description at 5:36 a.m., according to the release, which indicated he was near his ex-wife’s apartment on Fraternity Lane.
Police attempted to speak with the suspect, however, he began to run away on foot and at one point pointed a handgun at law enforcement.
Deputies shot the suspect to stop the threat, according to the release.
Authorities said the community is not at risk.
