APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Outagamie County’s district attorney says an Appleton police officer wounded did nothing wrong during an incident with a theft suspect which ended with his death.
At a press conference Wednesday, the Green Bay Police Department talked about the results of their investigation into the altercation on Kensington Drive back on May 28.
“Some residents of this area provided information that they saw the police lights first, or heard a female voice yelling commands,” said Lt. Gary Richgels of the Green Bay Police Department. “Their accounts of the incident are very consistent with Officer Wiener, Mr. Maltbey and other evidence located at the scene.”
The suspect, 23-year-old Marcus D. Felton, rushed Officer Stephanie Wiener, who was inside her squad car after trailing Felton in connection with prior shoplifting incidents. Police say when Felton got within, “10 to 12 feet of her squad car,” Wiener got out and tried to use her stun gun.
That proved ineffective, and as Felton grabbed her right wrist for her handgun and managed to wrestle it away from Wiener.
“The actions were driven by the suspect, she did everything that she possibly good to regain her weapon, she did what we had trained her to do,” says Appleton Police Chief Todd Thomas. “It was a matter of strength between her and the suspect.”
Felton then shot Wiener and a Good Samaritan, 23-year-old Andrew Maltbey, who had stopped his car behind the squad to help out. Police then confirm that Felton turned the gun on himself, and died at the scene.
In all, investigators say 6 shots were fired from Wiener’s gun, all by Felton after he gained control of it.
Wiener and Maltbey survived. Maltbey’s juvenile brother was inside his car at the time, but was not hurt.
Thomas explained that they called in Green Bay police to investigate, though their policy did not require them to contact an outside agency.
The shooting took place in the 900 block of S. Kensington Drive after a pair of thefts from gas stations.
Felton was suspected of stealing a gas station on E. Newberry Street around 10:30 p.m. May 27, and another on S. Kensington Drive just after midnight May 28.
