Manuel Ponce (Door Co. Jail)
STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – A Sturgeon Bay man charged with trying to kill five law enforcement officers in a hail of dozens of shots was ordered Thursday to stand trial.
Manuel Ponce, 35, faces 14 counts, including five attempted first-degree intentional homicide charges, for the Oct. 2, 2025 incident in Nasewaupee.
Ponce waived a preliminary hearing Thursday. Arraignment is scheduled for April 20, court records show.
According to the complaint, Door County Sheriff’s deputies and Sturgeon Bay police officers went to a home in County C for a 911 call follow up. They found a man outside, saying he left the house because he had been drinking with Ponce but was now afraid for his safety.
Deputies could hear gunshots from inside the residence. Officers approached the house, announced their presence, and there were additional gunshots.
Police established phone contact with Ponce, who said he did not want to be killed by law enforcement in front of his 8-year-old daughter. After about a half-hour, Ponce left the home and was arrested.
Police later inspected the home.
“Investigators observed extensive damage throughout the residence from numerous bullet holes in the floor, doors, walls, and cabinets throughout the hallway, bedroom, and bathroom areas. Investigators recovered 69 bullet casings. The majority of the shots appeared to be through SLE’s bedroom door traveling in a southwesterly direction through the residence in the direction of the backyard area of the property,” the complaint states.
Ponce told police he believed his social media posts angered the Mexican drug cartels, and believed he was being targeted by them.
“Ponce said he started shooting his guns because he was protecting his daughter from and “intruder” that was around his home,” the complaint states.
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