Wis. shooting victims sue law enforcement leaders

Wis. shooting victims sue law enforcement leaders

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CRANDON, Wis. - The parents of four young people killed by a sheriff's deputy and the lone survivor of his shooting spree last year claim in a lawsuit that the gunman's law-enforcement superiors were negligent in supervising him and giving him access to weapons.
The lawsuit filed in Forest County Circuit Court also claims authorities knew Deputy Tyler Peterson, 20, had a history of violence, yet gave him too much decision-making responsibility.

Peterson was also a part-time Crandon policeman, and the lawsuit names Crandon Police Chief John Dennee, Forest County Sheriff Keith Van Cleve and their insurance companies as defendants.

Peterson killed his one-time girlfriend Jordanne Murray and five other people during a party at her home in Crandon on Oct. 7, 2007. Authorities have said Peterson was angered by the idea that Murray was dating someone else.

After breaking down the door, Peterson fired at least 30 shots from an AR-15 assault rifle he was issued as a member of the Forest County Sheriff's SWAT team. Peterson shot and killed himself hours later after police efforts to get him to surrender failed

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I was cruising the world news on my home page and saw this. This is really a big deal in my eyes especially since the guy was a part time cop, I know that in my state they are strict on hiring practices and most departments and agencies give psych exams, I dont know how strict this sheriffs department hiring guidelines are and if they even give a psych test. I dont agree with a person this young being a sheriffs deputy, I think some maturity issues may still linger. I dont know if all the blame can be put on the sheriffs department and the town, Did anybody perhaps overloook some behavior changes at home and at work? Maybe the whole state needs to look into its hiring policies and testing procedures. Tough call..What do you guys think?

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Well, I don't have much to add to this other than Crandon is a very small town, with a population of about 2,000. And that's probably about the largest town in Forest County. Now I'm not entirely sure, but I think the shooter had lived in the area before going off to school as well. When your options are slim, there's a good chance that your deputy could be any old joe that has lived in the area for 20 years and everybody knows him.

Well, we do need to be careful about reaching conclusions on this. We need enough information before taking sides like I have seen the cop-haters here on ATS do time and time again.
Questions to ask on this case:

What are the crime levels in the region their dept. has to deal with?

What about the manpower/recruitment situation for their dept.?

Have they ever had to deal with issues like this in the past?

How much of an effect do State level regulations have on the dept.?

Amongst other possible questions. Please everyone, do not jump to conclusions just because you think that all Cops are powerhungry or otherwise evil.

reply to post by spec_ops_wannabe


I'll answer this the best I can, but don't take it as solid fact. I don't live up there, but I do know alot of people who go to Crandon, and when something happens in the northern regions of Wisconsin, news travels pretty fast.

Crime levels: I think for the most part, their worst crimes are typically going to be speeding, drunk driving, rowdy campers, and dealing with a ton of drunk people during the off-road races. This is one of those towns where everybody knows everybody, and most problems are solved with a slap on the wrist.

Manpower: Unable to comment on this.

Past similar issues: I don't ever recall hearing of any serious crimes in the area, much less crimes involving officers.

State Regs: again, I am unable to comment

www.jsonline.com...
"Other friends and neighbors said Peterson, who was officially deputized in February(after one year conditional employment), had recently completed special-forces-type training."

www.chippewa.com...
"Peterson's photo was on the front page of the weekly paper just last week in combat gear, along with 10 other members of the Forest County Emergency Response Team. Peterson rests on top of an armored vehicle. Mike Monte, publisher and editor of the free Pioneer Express, said it was ironic that the front page of his paper hit the streets Friday. ...."

Typically, the media did not probe more deeply into the exact nature of this training that he had just had, nor who funded or conducted the training. My guess is was the Feds. This whole thing sounds like an inevitable by-product of the ongoing militarization of the police. When you teach the cops that the people are the enemy and any level of force is allowed to quash any level of resistance, this is what you get. 'Course, you won't hear about any of this in the MSM, nor will they question the official 'suicide' theory, which maintains Dep. Perry shot himself in the head three times(two under the chin and one into the temple). Why not, though? The sheeple are so damned stupid they will believe anything.

Yup, it was nothing more than an unfortunate incidence, they will say. But I say it is a harbinger of what is to come.