One dead, one in custody after shooting at Pewitt’s Nest and Sauk Prairie Police Department

A Sauk County shooting leads to the death of the victim. Captain Matt Burch, of the Sauk County Sheriff’s Office, reports the Sauk County Dispatch Center received reports Friday afternoon (May 8) of a shooting incident at Pewitt’s Nest Nature Preserve on County Road W in the Township of Baraboo. Multiple callers reported seeing a male pulling a female from a vehicle before shooting her multiple times and fleeing the scene in a vehicle on County Road W towards the City of Baraboo. Deputies arrived on scene at and located the female deceased from multiple close range gunshot wounds in the parking lot of the nature preserve. During the initial investigation a general vehicle and suspect description was obtained and aired to responding units.

An hour later it was reported that a male subject had driven into the parking lot of the Sauk Prairie Police Department in a Kia Carnival minivan, exited the van, and fired several gunshots into the front door and vestibule of the police department. The building was struck several times, but no staff were injured in this shooting. Shortly, after that, Sauk Prairie Police Officers located the vehicle leaving the police department and conducted a traffic stop and the operator was taken into custody without incident. Through investigation and evidence gathered on scene and in the vehicle, it was determined this was the same subject and suspect vehicle from the earlier shooting incident at Pewitt’s Nest. The male was taken to the Sauk County Jail where he remains in custody. 

The suspect’s name is being withheld at this time as the investigation is active and ongoing but there is no threat to the community. The name of the victim is being withheld pending notification of family. The Sauk County Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this investigation by the Baraboo Police Department, Sauk Prairie Police Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and the Wisconsin DNR.