July 1, 2019 – Town of Hartford, WI – On June 30, 2019 at 2:17 p.m., Washington County Communications Center received a 911 call regarding shots fired inside a residence located at 7175 Hwy 60 in the Town of Hartford. The caller stated that he had been threatened by his 80-year-old father, who then brandished a firearm and shot one round inside the residence. The shot was not specifically directed at any person. It was also reported that there were three innocent parties who had sheltered themselves in the lower level while the lone suspect was on the main level of the residence.
Sheriff’s deputies, along with Hartford police officers, were dispatched to the scene and immediately established a perimeter and surrounded the residence. As a safety precaution, Hwy 60 between Wacker Drive and Pond Road was shut down since the north side of residence had an unobstructed view of Hwy 60.
Phone communication was attempted numerous times by Washington County Dispatch, but contact was never made with the suspect. The Washington County SWAT Team and Crisis Negotiators were paged and responded to the scene. Once the SWAT Team arrived, the rescue vehicle was used to assist in the removal of the innocent parties that were still inside the residence.
Approximately two hours after the initial call, with the use of the Rescue Vehicle public address system, verbal contact was finally made with the suspect. After brief negotiations with the suspect, he exited the residence and surrendered peacefully.
There were no reported injuries from this incident and the case investigation remains open to the Washington County Detective Bureau. Appropriate charges will be submitted to the Washington County District Attorney’s Office upon the completion of the investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office would like to thank both the Hartford Police and Fire Departments for the assistance with traffic control to establish a perimeter. According to Washington County Sheriff Martin Schulteis, “This type of critical incident demonstrates just how quickly one agency’s resources can be depleted. The collaboration demonstrated at this incident highlights the importance of all working together for a common goal.”