ALMON, WI (WSAU-WAOW) A 52-year-old Wittenberg man was shot and wounded by a Shawano County sheriff’s deputy in the Town of Almon Friday night.
The shooting happened after authorities responded to a call of a distraught man. The Shawano County Sheriff’s Department tried making contact with the man when he began making threats. That’s when the Special Response Team was called in, as well as the Shawano and Stockbridge police departments, and the Marathon County armored vehicle.
The suspect then jumped in a vehicle and took off, leading authorities on a chase.
It ended when a deputy shot the man. He was transported to a local hospital to treat his injuries. He’s since been transfered to a hospital in Madison to undergo surgery.
“We were at the bar and we were having a good time and something just clicked in his head,” said Jordan Onesti, the man’s nephew told WAOW NewsLine Nine. “I don’t know when it happened. He was fine all day.”
Onesti and the rest of his family told WAOW that they understand why police had to think fast and respond to the threats made by the suspect.
“I really think they did the right thing,” he said. “Police were protecting themselves.
Family members say the man was having mental health issues, and that alcohol was a likely factor in the incident.
The Shawano County Sheriffs Department may issue further details about the incident on Monday.
