Beaver Dam Police Chief Says Department Is Providing Support For Officer Involved In Shooting Incident

(Beaver Dam) Beaver Dam Police Chief John Kreuziger says his department is providing support for the officer who shot a domestic violence suspect on Friday. The 35-year-old was wounded in the “lower extremities” by a police officer who – as authorities put it – “reacted to a situation involving a firearm.”  The suspect was then taken into custody without further incident and taken to UW Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.  A Beaver Dam Police Officer sustained minor injuries while seeking cover. Police Chief John Kreuziger says the officer involved in the shooting is a 17-year veteran of the force who has been placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave, per department policy. The chief says they are providing for appropriate support for the officers involved and their families. Kreuziger says he is very confident in the decisions made by his officers as (quote) “they are very well trained.”

At a press conference on Saturday, Sheriff Dale Schmidt explained that his department is the outside agency handling the investigation because his deputies were not involved in the incident.  He says there were conversations with other agencies that were not available, and the decision was made that Dodge County “could certainly” handle the investigation. An officer-involved shooting death would bring standards to another level under state statute but even then, the sheriff says Dodge County would be allowed under statute to investigate. Schmidt says he is very confident in the abilities of his detective’s division and his entire staff to conduct an impartial investigation and get to the facts.

The last time there was a shooting by authorities in Beaver Dam was in August of 2016 though, in that incident, a sheriff’s deputy was involved. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division is actively investigating and upon completion, will be turning the matter over to the Dodge County District Attorney for review. Additional information on the incident is expected to be released Tuesday.