Juneau County man shot to death in what Attorney General calls ‘targeted’ attack

A 68-year-old man was shot to death in his Juneau County home Friday in what Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul is calling a targeted attack related to the judicial system.

A 56-year-old man believed to be the shooter was found in the basement of the home with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He is in critical condition.

Kaul declined to identify the man killed, saying the release is pending notification of family members. Local media is reporting the house where the attack occurred was the home of a former Juneau County circuit court judge, and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the victim is retired Judge John Roemer.

Kaul said the suspect is also believed to have targeted others.

“This does appear to be a targeted act and the individual who is the suspect appears to have had other targets as well; it appears to be related to the judicial system,” Kaul said. “Those who may have been other targets have been notified of that, but we are not aware of any active threats to individuals.”

Speaking at a press conference Friday afternoon, Kaul said police were called to the home in the Town of Lisbon at about 6:30 a.m. by a person who fled the scene and called for help from a neighbor’s home. The caller said an armed person was in the house and two shots had been fired. A tactical team forced entry to the house hours later after failed negotiations with the suspect. They found the 68-year-old retired judge dead inside.

Kaul said because of the ongoing investigation he was releasing limited information. However, he said, “One of the things we’re continuing to do is follow up to figure out whether there is any connection between this action and any other individuals.”

He said the state Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation with help from other agencies.