APPLETON, WI (WTAQ) – Appleton Police say they are on track with their role of investigating an officer-involved death involving the Green Bay Police Department.
“We have interviewed the officers, our investigators are now putting together their reports and we will continue to look at the data and put together evidence,” said Appleton Police Chief Todd Thomas.
Investigators continue to interview, get test results and ultimately decide what circumstances led to a man dying in Green Bay police custody last week.
According to the Green Bay Police Department, they attempted to take a man in custody after reports were made that he was pounding on doors and causing disturbances on Admiral Court back on Friday, April 29. Police say they confronted the man and he failed to follow police instructions, resulting in officers using a Taser. Officers say they noticed the man was in distress and began life-saving measures. The man was pronounced deceased at the hospital a short time later.
Thomas says they have a system in place where they have agreed to investigate officer-involved deaths at the Green Bay Police Department.
“They are complicated and complex and it is very important that they get done quickly so their community gets some answers,” Thomas said. “It becomes our priority.
Chief Thomas says his department recently participated in a training on how they will go about investigating for other departments. He says it just happened to be good timing but since the information learned is fresh on the investigator’s minds, things are going smoothly.
“Our investigators actually talked through the process that will be followed, the roles that everyone would have and the expectations.”
He says their job is to analyze the facts of the incident and present their findings to the DA’s office.
“The key is for us to focus in and get all the information to their District Attorney as soon as possible and let him make the decision.”
Thomas says right now they are waiting for toxicology reports.
