Police Officer Will Not Be Charged In Wausau Shooting

No charges will be filed against a Wausau police officer involved in a fatal shooting in April.

The district attorney and police chief said the officer had no choice against a knife-wielding attacker.

According to the just-completed investigation, Officer James Martin shot and killed 42-year-old Oswald Mattner on April 30 after he raised a knife and forced the officer backward onto a flight of stairs. Eyewitness Jim Merklein said the suspect had just threatened him with the same weapon.

“A knife. It was about 9-inches long and he attempted to swing at me with it over his head, and I blocked the blow with my arm. We struggled and I reached for the door and let the officer in,” Merklein said.

Wausau Police Chief Jeff Hardel said Martin had no choice.

“Mr. Mattner says something to the effect of, ‘You’re going to have to kill me,’ after Officer Martin says, ‘Don’t pull the knife out.’ Mr. Mattner then displays a knife in his right hand and raises the knife near his head in a threatening and stabbing motion and steps towards Officer Martin … He gave the suspect every opportunity to comply,” he said.

Hardel said sometimes police have to use deadly force.

“The situations that we’ve seen across the nation right now, the targeted violence toward police, officers just can’t let their guard down at all,” said Hardel.

The confrontation took place after a domestic violence call.