The scene of a fatal officer-involved shooting at the Perkofski Boat Launch, July 26, 2025. (Photo courtesy: Wisconsin Department of Justice)
DE PERE, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Law enforcement officers will not face criminal charges in connection with the shooting death of a man in De Pere, authorities announced Wednesday.
The incident happened July 26, just before 1 a.m., when police received a report of a person at the Perkofski Boat Launch who was armed with a rifle. Brown County District Attorney David Lasee’s report lays out the timeline of what happened next.
A short time after the initial 911 call, Scott McDonald’s wife called 911 to inform police of her fears her husband was contemplating suicide. She believed he was at the boat launch.
Officers from the De Pere Police Department, Ashwaubenon Public Safety Department and Brown County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene and found McDonald near the piers carrying a scoped rifle. The report says authorities tried to negotiate with McDonald, but he “became verbally aggressive” and demanded that the officers “get back.”
Shortly after the officers moved to the area of the building, McDonald fired his rifle into the air, not at the direction of any officer or any other person, though arguably at himself. This confirmed to the officers that the firearm was real, functional, and loaded, at least at the time the round was fired. It also confirmed for officers that McDonald was willing and able to use a deadly weapon.
Negotiations continued and resulted in limited verbal communication, but officers were unable to persuade McDonald to disarm. Lasee says he “continued to communicate suicidal ideations including placing the barrel of his rifle under his chin” and made comments that police interpreted to suggest McDonald “was willing and able to fire his rifle at the responding officers.”
Eventually, the report says McDonald pointed his rifle towards an area which contained a cluster of officers. At this point, six officers fired 18 rounds from two rifles and four handguns.
The officers were identified as:
Ashwaubenon Public Safety
- Officer Andrew Wickman, three years law enforcement service
- Officer Daryl Booth, five years law enforcement service
- Officer Alek Pearson, less than one year law enforcement service
De Pere Police Department:
- Officer Kyle Phillips, four years law enforcement service
- Officer Ryan McShane, eight years law enforcement service
- Sgt. Matthew Magno, 20 years law enforcement service
Lifesaving efforts were attempted, but McDonald died at the scene.
“Subsequent investigation included the review of text messages and a voicemail message McDonald delivered to wife before his death. These messages contain suicidal ideations and are suggestive that McDonald was planning on ending his life,” officials said.
None of the involved officers will face criminal charges, Lasee ruled.
Based on my review of the materials collected during the investigation into this matter, I find no evidence to suggest criminal conduct on the part of any of the involved law enforcement officers. Although the evidence clearly establishes that the responding officers caused the death of McDonald, that same evidence also establishes the officers were privileged to utilize the deadly force against McDonald which caused his death.
The evidence suggests that the officers reasonably believed there was an imminent threat of death or great bodily harm to multiple law enforcement officers. Not only did each of the six officers who fired indicate they feared for their life and/or the lives of fellow officers, that fear was reasonable and supported by the evidence.
McDonald was 44 years old.
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