North Fond du Lac Police Department Sergeant Bryce LaLuzerne fatally shot 36-year-old Lawrence M. Drennan in an officer-involved incident Feb. 2, 2024 in Winnebago County. (Photo courtesy: North Fond du Lac Police Department)
OSHKOSH, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – No charges will be filed against a North Fond du Lac police officer for shooting and killing a suspect who had threatened to kill officers and would not show his hands, Winnebago County District Attorney Eric Sparr ruled.
Sgt. Bryce LaLuzerne stopped Lawrence Drennan during a traffic stop on Feb. 2, but Drennan drove off. LaLuzerne’s body cam shows he pulled him over for not having his tail lights on. During the stop, the officer suspected Drennan was intoxicated. He asked Drennan to get out of the vehicle, but Drennan drove off.
The pursuit made its way to Interstate 41. During the chase, Drennan called 911 and made comments including “if they stop me, I will shoot them all to death”, and “get ready to fire to kill, because I’m going to fire to kill.” Those comments were related to LaLuzerne.
After a tire deflation device was used, Drennan’s vehicle stopped. Drennan did not follow LaLuzerne’s commands, and kept his right hand hidden behind his back. Drennan also repeated the comments that officers would need to shoot him. As Drennan moved towards the officer, LaLuzerne fired twice, striking Drennan once.
Autopsy results showed Drennan had a BAC of .198, more than twice the legal driving limit, according to Sparr’s report.
“From a review of all available materials, Drennan’s desire to get officers to shoot him was clear. His statements to dispatch and to officers, combined with his refusal to show his hands as he approached officers, were clearly designed to make officers believe he had a gun, even though he did not. Drennan seemed aware that creating such a belief and aggressively moving towards officers would pressure them to shoot him. Officers attempted to diffuse the situation verbally, but Drennan gave no indication that he would be distracted from his goal,” Sparr said. “The single I address in this opinion is whether the shooting of Lawrence Drennan was an unjustified, criminal act. It was clearly was not. Sgt. LaLuzerne should not, and will not, face criminal charges from the Winnebago County District Attorney’s office.”
LaLuzerne had been administrative leave.
Court records show Drennan had previous convictions for drunk driving, disorderly conduct, and traffic offenses.
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