Oshkosh school officials want to reestablish 'sense of safety' for students in wake of shooting

Oshkosh West High School

OSHKOSH -- Dozens of counselors are being made available to students and staff in the Oshkosh School District following a shooting that injured both an officer and a high school student on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

Oshkosh West High School, which is typically buzzing with students, was silent on Wednesday.

Matthew Kaemmerer is the Director of Pupil Services for the Oshkosh School District. He said more than 40 counselors were made available to students and staff.

Matthew Kaemmerer

"The most important thing is reestablishing that sense of safety," Kaemmerer said.

Officer Michael Wissink

On Wednesday, we learned more about the school resource officer who fired his weapon. Oshkosh police say Officer Michael Wissink fired his service weapon while being attacked by a 16-year-old student with an edged weapon. Wissink has been an Oshkosh officer for 21 years -- and a school resource officer since 2017.

"Everybody is going to feel things a little bit differently. I think there is a lot of anxiety about what happened," Kaemmerer said.

Investigators say the officer shot the student once. Both were injured and taken to a hospital for treatment. The high school went on lockdown -- and later evacuated. That sent a wave of panic in the community -- especially since this incident came a day after another shooting inside Waukesha South High School on Monday.

"A number of staff members went to talk about some of the things they've been experiencing," Kaemmerer said.

Oshkosh West High School

Kaemmerer said the additional resources in place have already been put to use.

"Everyone takes different times to heal. While they may not be feeling strong emotions at this point, there's nothing saying they may need that support a day or a week from now," Kaemmerer said.

The services will be ongoing. District officials say they will do all they can so students feel welcomed and supported when they return to class.

Teachers and staff are expected to return to Oshkosh West on Thursday. Students will return to the classroom on Friday.