Trooper, suspect killed after bank robberies, fatal carjacking

Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel – by Jesse Garza

The fatal shooting of a Wisconsin State Patrol trooper during an exchange of gunfire that also killed a bank robbery suspect came at the end of a series of bank robberies and carjackings that left a motorist dead, WBAY-TV in Green Bay reported late Tuesday.

The crime rampage began in the Village of Wausaukee and ended in Fond du Lac, where the trooper was killed, according to a post on the station’s website.

According to Fond du Lac Police Chief William Lamb, the trooper was following the suspect’s vehicle about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday when the exchange of gunfire occurred in the 100 block of N. Berger Parkway.

There are no other suspects at large and no remaining danger to the public, Lamb told reporters at a news conference late Tuesday.  

The incident will be investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, according to Lamb, who said no further information would be released Tuesday night.

The suspect was involved in an incident in Marinette County earlier Tuesday, according to the Fond du Lac Fire Department. State Rep. Michael Schraa (R-Oshkosh) said on Twitter that the shooting stemmed from an attempted bank robbery.

Before the shooting, Fond du Lac police said they were seeking a suspect in a robbery at Hometown Bank, 245 N. Peters Ave. However, it has not been confirmed that the two incidents were related.

Multiple police agencies gathered Tuesday night: one at Pick ‘n Save in the 700 block of Johnson St. and the other at Forest Ave. and Berger Parkway, WBAY-TV in Green Bay reported.

It’s been just over four years since two Fond du Lac police officers were shot, one fatally, while investigating a sexual assault case. At the end of a six-hour standoff, the man who shot the officers was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Officer Craig Birkholz, 28, an Army veteran, was shot in the upper chest and died at the scene on March 20, 2011. Officer Ryan Williams, the department’s K-9 officer, was shot in the chest and shoulder and survived because of his body armor. His police dog, Grendel, also was shot and wounded.