July 16, 2024 – Fond du Lac Co., WI – Monday evening, July 15, 2024, Fond du Lac County sheriff’s deputies and dispatchers were tasked with two serious critical incidents occurring simultaneously in the county. They and numerous other law enforcement, fire, and EMS agencies worked together to mitigate both critical incidents highlighted below.
Before getting into the details of each event, I’d like to highlight the communication center dispatchers who, like in every critical incident, were instrumental in the flow of communication, dispatching of proper resources, and tracking of everyone involved.
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From monitoring and responding to radio traffic on multiple law enforcement and fire/EMS frequencies, to answering 911 calls, to dispatching additional units to ensure everyone had the resources they needed at each incident, the coordination of these events could not have happened without them.
At 7:26 p.m., our communication center was advised that the Wisconsin State Patrol and Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office were in pursuit of a U-Haul box truck southbound on I41 south of Oshkosh. Inside the U-Haul were two suspects wanted for an armed robbery and shooting that had occurred in Omro a short time earlier.
Fleeing into a county with significant experience in the pursuit and apprehension of violent high-speed chase suspects, and with several minutes’ notice of the incoming pursuit, deputies began positioning themselves along the I41 corridor, and North Fond du Lac and City of Fond du Lac police officers began blocking off ramps into their respective jurisdictions in an attempt to keep the chase confined to the interstate. A sheriff’s deputy successfully deployed a tire deflation device at Hwy N, but the vehicle continued southbound on the interstate.
With a trooper and sheriff’s K9 squad now in the lead behind the suspect, they dodged tire debris coming off the rims as the flattened tires shredded apart. A North Fond du Lac police officer successfully deployed additional tire deflation devices at Winnebago Street as the suspect swerved at the squad, coming within just a couple of feet of striking it while trying to avoid the stop sticks. A short time later the U-Haul was driving on nothing but rims after all tires had been flattened. The suspect vehicle traveled around the Fond du Lac police squad blocking the Johnson Street exit, and as the U-Haul turned right on Johnson Street the lead trooper successfully utilized a PIT maneuver to spin the truck out in an attempt to stop it. The suspects, however, were not surrendering.
The driver put the U-Haul in reverse and attempted to back up into the intersection of Johnson Street and Rolling Meadows Drive, which was occupied by unsuspecting motorists.
The K9 deputy, finding himself suddenly nose to nose with the shooting suspects and their vehicle, knew he had to end this pursuit. He first bumped the U-Haul, trying to convince them to surrender, but as the driver continued trying to navigate the intersection in reverse, the deputy did what he had to do to end this chase and pushed the suspect vehicle through the intersection, spun it sideways, and then continued pushing the U-Haul until it was disabled off the road.
With a sheriff’s K9, a Fond du Lac Police K9, and many other troopers, deputies, and police officers converging on the scene, the suspects finally surrendered and were taken into custody.
A loaded firearm was recovered from inside the U-Haul. Further details about the suspects, robbery and shooting in Omro where this incident started will be shared by the investigating agencies later today.
Just three minutes after this pursuit was dispatched, at 7:29 p.m., the Fond du Lac County communications center received multiple 911 calls of a rollover crash on Hwy TC near Hwy M in the Town of Springvale.
Deputies, along with Brandon-Fairwater Fire Department, Brandon-Fairwater First Responders, and Lifestar Ambulance, responded to the scene. Prior to arrival, a witness observed the driver of the pickup truck running westbound along Hwy TC covered in blood.
Arriving deputies tracked the fleeing driver, a 32-year-old Brandon man, and eventually located him a ways from the scene with a serious arm injury. It was determined he was the lone occupant and he was transported by ambulance to ThedaCare Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.
The investigation determined the westbound vehicle left the roadway and traveled into the ditch before coming back onto the highway and rolling over several times. Speed, failure to maintain control, and alcohol appear to be factors in the crash. The driver was arrested on suspicion of operating while intoxicated – 2nd offense.
Fond du Lac County residents can be proud of their dispatchers, sheriff’s deputies, troopers, police officers, and fire, and EMS personnel, all of whom stand ready to face whatever critical incident comes our way. As sheriff, I am certainly proud to lead an organization of professionals who work 24/7/365 to keep our residents safe, and do what they need to do to get the job done. These two incidents were just another example of a job well done through the collective efforts of many agencies working together.
Sheriff Ryan F. Waldschmidt
UPDATE: Below is the Omro Police Department press release with further details about the suspects in this pursuit:
PRESS RELEASE
On July 15, 2024, at around 7:18 p.m. the Omro Police Department assisted by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance with a weapon in the 300 block of East Main Street. It was quickly learned that the suspects involved in this altercation had fled the scene in a vehicle prior to officers’ arrival.
Upon responding to the scene, the investigation revealed that the Victim (a 65-year-old male from Omro) had placed an ad on Facebook Marketplace to sell a car. The suspects responded to the ad, and an altercation quickly ensued when they arrived.
During this altercation, one suspect produced a firearm. During a struggle over the firearm, the victim sustained a gunshot wound and other injuries.
Once the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle, they were quickly located by law enforcement, and a multi-jurisdictional chase ensued. The chase ended in the City of Fond du Lac, and the two suspects were taken into custody.
The two suspects were arrested for the following:
Omah A. Brown, age 45, from Milwaukee
Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide
Attempted Robbery with Use of Force
Flee/Elude an Officer
Possess Firearm-Convicted Felon
Motor Vehicle Theft/Party to the Crime
Receiving Stolen Property 5k-10k – or Firearm/Party to the Crime
Shakierra B. Ray, age 27, from Green Bay
Attempted 1st Degree Intentional Homicide – Party to the Crime
Attempted Robbery with Use of Force
Motor Vehicle Theft/Party to the Crime
Receiving Stolen Property 5k-10k – or Firearm
Possession of Cocaine
It is expected that other law enforcement jurisdictions will have their own charges related to the chase.
The victim was transported to Theda Care Regional Medical Center in Neenah for medical attention, and his injuries are considered to be non-life threatening.
We would like to thank the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, the Wisconsin State Patrol, Omro Rushford First Responders, Winneconne Police Department, Oshkosh Fire Department, North Fond du Lac Police Department, the Fond du Lac Police Department, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, and Expert Towing for their assistance.
The Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate this series of events.
If you have any information, please contact Detective Jim Megna 920-236-7326
No further information will be released at this time.
