West Bend police chase ends with crash; driver, shooting suspect dead
WEST BEND, Wis. - A suspected road rage shooting in Winneconne leads to a police chase in West Bend hours later. In the end, the driver and suspected shooter is dead. He is identified by authorities as 73-year-old Donald Lucero of Winneconne.
"I heard consecutive bam, bam, bam, bam – which immediately piqued my curiosity," said Jason Harmon, who lives near Lake Winneconne Park. "I got out of my chair and looked out the window, and it sounded like it was coming from the left. In hindsight, it was more to the right. But I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary."
By that point, Winneconne police say the victim drove to a dentist's office a couple of blocks away.
Suspected road rage shooting in Winneconne
"They did a sensational job. What they did, I think helped to save his life," said Ben Sauriol, Winneconne Police Chief.
The Winneconne police chief said the road rage incident escalated and ended up at the park. Words were exchanges, and then the victim was shot four times.
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"It sounds like the suspect may have been tailgating the victim which sort of sparked this activity, but I’m not totally sure. That’s what it sounds like initially from talking with the victim," Sauriol said.
Suspected road rage shooting in Winneconne
Police were able to pull video from nearby – and get a suspect vehicle, and then…
"A little after 5 a.m., we were contacted by the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department," said Lt. Brian McAndrews, West Bend Police Department.
Lt. Brian McAndrews, West Bend Police Department
West Bend police were asked to check out an address for a person associated with the suspected shooter near Silverbrook and Washington.
"Our officers responded to that residence, located the individual's vehicle and him standing outside in the parking lot. They were there to check," McAndrews said.
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McAndrews said police tried to get the man to come to them. Instead, he took off – heading west on Washington with police in pursuit. The suspect turned north on US 45, where the vehicle later crashed into a tree line. Officials would not say if the man died form injuries in the crash or otherwise.
"When officers made contact with the vehicle, he was already deceased. There will an autopsy examination conducted today or tomorrow, to ultimately determine his cause of death," McAndrews said.
Lt. Brian McAndrews, West Bend Police Department
Due to the West Bend Police Department's involvement in this crash, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office will be conducting the investigation.