CRANDON, Wis. - A local law enforcement employee went on a shooting rampage early Sunday in remote northern Wisconsin, killing at least five people before authorities fatally shot him, officials said.
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A dispatcher for the State Patrol who declined to give his full name as a matter of department practice said the suspect is an employee of the Forest County Sheriff's Department and a part-time officer for the Crandon Police Department.
County Supervisor Tom Vollmar said five or six people were dead, and a church official said police reported that seven people were dead. And Gary Bradley, mayor of the city of about 2,000, said Sunday afternoon that the suspect was also dead.
"He was brought down by a sniper," Bradley said.
Crandon Police Chief John Dennee, speaking outside the police department about two blocks from the shooting site, would not confirm details but said: "We're not looking for anybody anymore."
Bud Evans, 46, an elder at Praise Chapel Community Church, which some of the victims attended, said the police chief told people gathered there that seven people were shot and that one person was still alive.
One of the dead was 14-year-old Lindsey Stahl, said her mother, Jenny Stahl, 39.
She said her daughter called her Saturday night and asked whether she could sleep over at a friend's house. Jenny Stahl agreed.
"I'm waiting for somebody to wake me up right now. This is a bad, bad dream," the weeping mother said. "All I heard it was a jealous boyfriend and he went berserk. He took them all out."
The State Patrol and the Crandon Fire Department detoured a steady stream of traffic from two blocks of U.S. Highway 8 in the downtown area. Some residents stood in nearby front yards.
Marci Franz, 35, who lives two houses south of the duplex where the shooting occurred, said she was awakened by gunshots.
"I heard probably five or six shots, a short pause and then five or six more," she said. "I wasn't sure if it was gunfire initially. I thought some kids were messing around and hitting a nearby metal building."
Then she heard eight louder shots and tires squealing, she said.
"I was just about to get up and call it in, and I heard sirens," she said. "There's never been a tragedy like this here. There's been individual incidents, but nothing of this magnitude."
The small community is facing a trying time but is pulling together, Bradley said.
"We are a strong community. We always have been," he said. "This is agonizing, but we will prevail."
The northeast Wisconsin town is about 225 miles north of Milwaukee. The area is known for logging, and fishing, hunting and snowmobiling.
