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Officer, three civilians killed in Wisconsin shooting

By Allen Cone
A police officer and three civilians died in a shooting spree that started as "domestic situation" in Rothschild and spread to Schofield and Weston in northern Wisconsin. Screenshot/Google Maps
A police officer and three civilians died in a shooting spree that started as "domestic situation" in Rothschild and spread to Schofield and Weston in northern Wisconsin. Screenshot/Google Maps

March 22 (UPI) -- A police officer and three civilians died in a shooting spree that started as a "domestic situation" and spread to two other locations in northern Wisconsin, police officials said Wednesday night.

The shooter was taken into police custody, Everest Metro Police Chief Wally Sparks said at a news conference. The victims were not identified pending notification from the next of kin, including the officer.

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The shooting took place in small towns south of Wausau, about 90 miles west of Green Bay.

At 12:27 p.m., Rothschild officers were first called to Marathon Savings Bank where they found two people shot.

Then at 1:10 p.m., Wausau Police Capt. Todd Baeten said more shots were reported from the law firm of Tlusty, Kennedy and Dirks in Schofield.

At 1:30 p.m., a third call came from the Aspen Street Apartments complex in Weston, Everest police said.

The suspect was barricaded inside the building and he communicated with officers, police said.

Shortly before 2:30 p.m., SWAT teams entered a building, according to a USA Today Network-Wisconsin reporter at the scene. Police evacuated residents, including children, from the building.

At roughly 4:55 p.m., the local reporter said he heard numerous gunshots near the apartments and 15 minutes later an ambulance sped away.

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The locations of the fatalities and the circumstances of the officer's death were not released. The Everett department, which serves Schofield and Weston, includes 27 sworn officers, according to its website.

"Many different families have suffered tragedies as a result of the incidents of today," Weston Village Administrator Daniel Guild said. "We're a small community. We're pretty tight-knit here in central Wisconsin. ... I hope that people will lean on each other, and pray for each other and look for ways to comfort each other as people try to move past this incident, and the fear and the impacts that it's having on people's lives."

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