Wife of 60-year-old man shot & killed in Neenah says he "had a love for his family"
NEENAH -- The wife of a man killed in a weekend hostage standoff at a motorcycle repair shop in Neenah says her husband wasn't the biker and motorcycle club member he appeared to be. She says he "had a love for his family."
Theresa Mason-Funk told Post-Crescent Media on Monday, December 7th that her husband, 60-year-old Michael L. Funk, had distanced himself from the D.C. Eagles and Hell's Lovers motorcycle clubs and was looking forward to retirement.
Steve Erato, owner of Eagle Nation Cycles, says Funk was inside the shop when a gunman entered and took hostages Saturday, December 5th.
Erato and attorney Cole White say Funk was a victim who shouldn't have been killed.
Neenah police haven't confirmed the identity of the man who was fatally shot. Police said on Saturday a man was shot after he refused commands to drop a weapon. Neenah Police Chief Kevin Wilkinson said it was possible the man was shot by officers, and also by someone inside Eagle Nation Cycles.
White says Funk's family is considering filing a wrongful death lawsuit.
White on Monday described the encounter based on what he had been told by Erato, the shop's principal owner.
White says someone came into the shop holding another man at gunpoint. He says the gunman had sold his bike -- but wanted it back and took the buyer to Eagle Nation to retrieve it, providing a glimpse into what sparked the hourslong hostage standoff.
Neenah Mayor Dean Kaufert says he was informed that as of Sunday morning, three officers involved in Saturday's shooting incident were put on leave.
Kaufert says that procedure is customary when officers are involved in a shooting. He also says that is standard protocol until the investigation ends.
Brian Flatoff
Charges could be filed yet this week against 45-year-old Brian Flatoff, who is being held in custody in connection with this hostage situation.
Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the agency handling the investigation into the officer-involved shooting portion of this incident, released this statement on Tuesday, December 8th:
On December 5, 2015, the Neenah Police Department requested the Department of Justice-Division of Criminal Investigation handle the investigation into an officer-involved shooting in the city of Neenah on that date.
There has been conflicting information circulating in the community regarding the events leading up to the officer-involved shooting. We are choosing to release very limited facts to prevent any further confusion or misinformation.
Our investigation thus far has shown that the deceased, Michael Funk, was armed when fired upon by police. However, DOJ has much work ahead of us and a prosecutor will make a final determination on whether there should be charges in the case.
The Department of Justice is committed to providing an independent, transparent investigation into officer-involved incidents. It is critical to the integrity of all investigations that we take great caution to avoid releasing information piecemeal. We understand the community wants accurate information and we are committed to conducting an investigation that provides that.