Son: Man's actions during Kewaskum home invasion saved his wife
KEWASKUM, Wis. - Nearly one week since a double-homicide rocked the Town of Kewaskum, where authorities say a West Bend man stormed two homes, killing two people before he was shot and killed by a deputy, loved ones are calling one of the victim's final moments heroic.
One of the men killed, 72-year-old Ray Engelking, was a retired teacher who loved ones say devoted his life to helping others. Engelking's son, Rhett, told FOX6 News that his father put himself in front of the suspect, giving his mother (Ray's wife) the chance to live.
"Had my dad not intervened, it was pretty clear she would have...she would have been next," said Rhett Engelking, son of Ray and Deborah Engelking.
Rhett Engelking recounted his father's selfless acts just before he was tragically killed in a random home invasion on Wednesday, Feb. 3.
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"The perpetrator arrived at my parents' house, demanding keys to the car, which my mother gave without hesitation," said Rhett Engelking.
Nicholas Pingel
Rhett Engelking said the perpetrator -- 30-year-old Nicholas Pingel from West Bend -- couldn't start the couple's push-to-start car and returned to the home. That's when his father took action.
"Engaged in a physical struggle, and my mom witnessed him (the suspect) shoot my father," said Rhett Engelking.
Rhett Engelking told FOX6 News this gave his mom the chance to hide. Pingel left, encountering 77-year-old Carl Halvorsen at a nearby home, who authorities say he also shot and killed.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice on Tuesday confirmed Pingel then exchanged gunfire with Washington County Sheriff's deputies and was killed by Deputy Lee Goodman. Goodman was placed on administrative leave pending an independent investigation, per protocol. He is a nine-year veteran of the Washington County Sheriff's Office.
"My coping of it is really just understanding that there is violence in society, and we do no good in completely ignoring it because it'll come to our doorstep like it came to my parents' doorstep," said Rhett Engelking.
Ray Engelking (right) and family
Rhett Engelking, one of three brothers, said it's not how their father died that he should be remembered, but how he lived. He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather. He was also a coach, and a retired West Bend West High School economics teacher of 35 years, where his impact exceeded his classroom.
"He had a lot of students, but he made sure to know all of them by name," said Rhett Engelking. "He was drawn to kids who were at risk, students who didn’t have stable families, just needed someone to talk to."
Ray Engelking
Now, Rhett Engelking and his family hope to carry on their father's legacy through the Ray Engelking Memorial Scholarship Fund they've started, which aims to help West Bend West students at risk of not graduating.
"The scholarship fund is just our way to try to listen to what we’re hearing in our community and do some good," he said.
Ray Engelking also taught at Moraine Park Technical College; Rhett Engelking said "the scholarship opportunity that we started, the aim is to pay for an opportunity to go to Moraine Park Technical College and learn a trade, and have some other options."
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West Bend man fatally shot by deputy after Kewaskum home invasion
A West Bend man, 30, fatally shot following a deadly home invasion in Kewaskum Wednesday, Feb. 3, "died the result of the law enforcement round" that struck him, officials said in an update Tuesday.