Racine Officer John Hetland Killed While Trying To Intervene In Robbery At Bar

Racine police say one of their officers has been killed while trying to stop an armed robbery at a local bar.

A statement from Police Chief Arthel Howell on Tuesday says officer John Hetland, who was off duty, was fatally shot at Teezers bar Monday at about 9:40 p.m. when he intervened in the crime.

Multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for the gunman, who was masked when he entered the bar.

Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth, whose office is leading the investigation into Hetland’s death, said video footage shows an armed man walking behind the counter at the bar and demanding money.

“Officer Hetland, from the videos that they’ve seen, tried to figure out the best way to get his hands on the suspect,” Beth said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. “He ended up jumping over the bar to do his best to take the suspect out and protect the public.”

Beth said the suspect shot Hetland once and fled the scene.

One of the bar’s owners posted on Facebook that the suspect fired his gun and fled out the back door after a struggle.

Police officers could be seen embracing at the scene of the shooting.

Hetland was a father of two and a 24-year veteran of the Racine Police Department.

Beth said authorities are looking for a man around 5 feet 10 inches tall with a thin build, who was wearing a hoodie and possibly a mask at the time of the shooting.

“And if you can see from the picture that we put out, really all you could see was just his eyes,” he said.

Beth said everyone who was in the bar at the time of the shooting has given a statement to authorities. He urged anyone with information to come forward, and said the FBI and local businesses are offering $25,000 for information that leads to the arrest of the suspect.

“We have teams of people going out and investigating every single lead that we get right now,” he said.

Racine Mayor Cory Mason urged the public to support the police department “during this trying time.”

When asked whether there was a continued threat to the public, Mason said “I have confidence in the Racine Police Department’s ability to keep us safe. That’s not any different today than it was yesterday.”

Editor’s note: This story was updated with original reporting by WPR staff.