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Fallen officers Breidenbach, Scheel ‘justified’ in use of force
The report said the officers “acted lawfully in self-defense and defense of others, and were privileged in using deadly force.”
CAMERON, Wis. — Editor’s note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on April 15, 2023.
The Barron County District Attorney’s Office released its final report Friday in connection with an exchange of gunfire that left two police officers and a suspect dead in western Wisconsin last month, concluding the officers’ use of deadly force against the suspect was “justified.”
The report comes a little over a month after Chetek, Wisconsin police officer Emily Breidenbach, 32, and Cameron, Wisconsin police officer Hunter Scheel, 23, died in the line of duty after being shot by 50-year-old Glenn Perry during a traffic stop. Perry was also shot in the April 8 exchange, later dying at a local hospital from a gunshot wound to the leg.
“Officer Breidenbach and Officer Scheel exhibited unimaginable courage on the afternoon of April 8, 2023,” the statement read, adding the officers “acted lawfully in self-defense and defense of others, and were privileged in using deadly force.”
The report goes on to say the AR-15 rifle Perry used in the shooting that day, in addition to several other firearms he kept both inside his home and vehicle, were obtained legally. In the days following the shooting, law enforcement determined Perry did not have any previous gun violations or citations, but had an established “animosity toward law enforcement and government in general.”
Breidenbach was on routine patrol in Chetek on the afternoon of April 8 when she encountered Perry in his vehicle and learned there was an active warrant for his arrest. Scheel, on duty at the time in Cameron, answered Breidenbach’s call for backup while she communicated to dispatch that the officers would wait to stop Perry’s vehicle until he entered the city of Cameron.
When the vehicles stopped, authorities say Breidenbach opened the driver’s side door of her squad vehicle and positioned herself behind it, drawing her firearm and yelling commands at Perry. The report says that’s when Perry opened his door, stepped out with the automatic weapon and opened fire. Investigators determined Breidenbach got two shots off before she was struck.
Scheel, according to the report, was approaching Perry’s vehicle on its rear passenger side when Breidenbach was hit. Scheel radioed in a report of “shots fired” before taking cover behind his squad vehicle and exchanging gunfire with Perry. As Perry advanced toward Scheel, the report says Scheel tried to maneuver himself around his squad but was ultimately shot multiple times before suffering fatal shots at close range.
Although Perry was struck in the leg by one of the officers’ bullets, he was initially able to walk back to his vehicle before falling to the ground. Attempting to stand, Perry again fell to the ground as additional squads arrived. While officers at the scene described seeing Perry suffer significant blood loss from his injury, it was later determined that the bullet perforated the femoral artery in his right leg.
The report said the entire exchange with Breidenbach and Scheel was over in approximately 45 seconds, with another minute and 35 seconds passing before Perry fell to the ground by his vehicle. The report concluded that had Perry remained able, he likely would have caused “great bodily harm” or “death” to anyone directly in the line of, or caught in, potential crossfire.
“The deaths of Officer Breidenbach and Officer Scheel are a stark reminder of how police officers put their lives on the line each and every day to protect us,” the report said. “The sworn duty of police officers to serve and protect should be revered whenever we remember the bravery, courage and sacrifice of Officer Breidenbach and Officer Scheel.”
Under Wisconsin state statute, a person “may use force which is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm only if the person reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself, or others.”
The same applies to police officers acting in their professional capacity, who reserve the right to act in self-defense or in the defense of others.
“The heroism of Officer Breidenbach and Officer Scheel saved countless lives and will never be forgotten,” the report said.
A week after the officers were killed, their family, friends and community said goodbye with a funeral service and procession, before laying them to rest.
And on Thursday, May 18, law enforcement agencies throughout Hennepin County honored a total of 67 fallen colleagues outside Minneapolis City Hall by reading their names aloud.
In the last few weeks alone, four officers in the region — including Breidenbach and Scheel — paid the ultimate sacrifice. Also among the fallen officers were Pope County Josh Owen, who was killed responding to a domestic violence call, and St. Croix County Deputy Kaitie Leising, who was killed while responding to a suspected drunk driver.
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Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier told families in a letter that a rash of injuries has reduced the roster to the point that playing is a “safety issue.”
WADENA, Minn. — A central Minnesota high school is pulling the plug on the remainder of its varsity football season, saying continuing to play would not be “safe or realistic.”
Wadena-Deer Creek head coach Kyle Petermeier sent a letter home to families earlier in the week, explaining the decision to skip the Wolverines’ final game and subsequent district playoffs. Petermeier said injuries began piling up as the club reached midseason, and roster numbers hit a dangerous low following Wadena-Deer Creek’s game in week 7.
Heading into the final regular season game against Staples-Motley, Wadena-Deer Creek had just eight healthy players from 10th to 12th grade. At that point, the coach said, a difficult but necessary decision had to be made in the interest of safety.
“We are in a position now where we would have to trot out a majority of our team that is 14 and 15 years old, and that is not in the best interest of our kids,” coach Petermeier explained. “To us, safety is ahead of any individual game result. Football is a physical sport and putting out a team of mostly 14-15 year olds vs. 17-18 year olds is not safe or realistic for our team, and even the opposing team playing. “
Before the decision to end their season, the Wolverines were 1-6 on the year, losing games by up to 50 points.
Coach Petermeier credited this year’s varsity squad for their preparation, training and effort, and told parents he believes the future of the Wadena-Deer Creek football program is bright with big participation numbers with players at the fifth- to ninth-grade levels.
“Football is a game that requires strength in numbers, and we will do anything we can to keep these numbers high and keep kids out for football,” he promised.
With a 17-member jury finally seated after an arduous selection process, the prosecution and defense on Thursday took the first step in building their cases.
MANKATO, Minn. — With an arduous jury selection process finally in the rearview mirror, both prosecutors and the defense began laying out their cases Thursday in the murder trial of Adam Fravel.
Fravel is charged with four felony counts – first-degree murder, first-degree premeditated murder, second-degree intentional murder, and second-degree unintentional murder while committing a felony offense – in the death of 26-year-old Maddi Kingsbury, his live-in partner and mother of Favel’s two children.
Kingsbury was last seen dropping her young son and daughter off at daycare in Winona the morning of March 31, 2023. She was reported missing by family and friends later that day. Maddi’s decomposing remains were found south of Winona 68 days later. The medical examiner eventually concluded she died of homicidal violence, likely asphyxiation.
Opening statements began shortly after 9 a.m. in Blue Earth County District Court, chosen as the venue after Judge Nancy Buytendorp ruled Fravel’s trial should be moved from Winona County due to extensive pre-trial publicity.
The state was the first to address the jury panel, with prosecutor Phil Prokopowicz immediately painting a picture of Maddi as a successful career woman and mother who had become increasingly frustrated with Fravel and his inability to contribute as their seven-year relationship crumbled.
Prokopowicz told jurors that Kingsbury had met a man, Spencer Sullivan, on a dating app and as their relationship grew Maddi decided to end her partnership with Fravel. Kingsbury contacted her landlord and said she was terminating the least, and that she had found a townhouse where she and the children would live.
The state also laid out a list of electronic and video evidence it says proves Fravel killed Maddi and engaged in an elaborate coverup, also indicating there will be testimony on alleged abuse in the relationship.
Fravel’s defense team began its opening statement with a geography lesson of sorts, with attorney Zach Bauer naming Winona and the small communities of Rushford, Choice, Mable, and the highways and county roads that run through them. Bauer asked jurors to think about the locations as they listen to testimony and absorb the evidence presented in Fravel’s trial.
The defense then began painting its own picture of the relationship between Fravel and Kingsbury, saying like many couples they had disagreements and there were times Maddi would move out the home and other times when Fravel would go home to stay with his parents.
Unlike prosecutors – who said Kingsbury’s relationship with Spencer Sullivan was getting deeper – the defense told jurors about texts from Maddi to her sister saying she was going to marry Adam Fravel. Ultimately, Bauer told the court, Kingsbury and Fravel agreed to separate but were doing so in a cooperative and planned manner.
Bauer told jurors that Fravel cooperated with police after Kingsbury disappeared, saying his defense team would show that investigators ignored evidence and facts that suggested his innocence. He indicated they will challenge the prosecution’s version of how and where the body was found, and who may have had access to the remote site not far from Mabel.
The defense also said they will call a neighbor who will testify they never heard any fighting or signs of discord in the relationship between Kingsbury and Fravel.
The 16-year-old girl was last seen in September in north Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help to find a missing teenage girl.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) shared Thursday on X that 16-year-old Tivona Cardenas was last seen in late September in north Minneapolis.
Cardenas is 5 feet 2 inches and 108 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, according to the Minnesota BCA.
If you have any information on the teen’s whereabouts, call 911.
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