(Fond du Lac) The chief of police in the city of Fond du Lac is crediting his officers’ use of less lethal impact munitions during a Wednesday incident.
A 40-year-old Fond du Lac man was wanted on a felony First-Degree Reckless Homicide – Party to a Crime probation warrant. When officers located the suspect, the man armed himself with two chunks of concrete. He threw one at a squad car and the other at an officer, which hit them in the leg.
The man then threw his bike at police, armed himself with another chunk of concrete, and made threats of violence. An officer fired a 40-millimeter sponge grenade at the man striking him in the leg.
A sponge grenade has a foam nose but a dense core and deforms when it strikes its target. It is a less lethal projectile.
The officer hit in the leg with concrete suffered minor injuries and another officer suffered a minor hand injury taking the suspect into custody.
Chief Aaron Goldstein says their goal in any situation is to de-escalate and bring a peaceful resolution so that everyone is safe. He adds that the use of less lethal impact munitions provides additional options to law enforcement in order to help resolve high-stress violent encounters while reducing the risk of injury.
