APPLETON — New information was revealed Thursday about what happened at the Valley Transit Center the day firefighter Mitch Lundgaard was killed in the line of duty.
The first thing authorities wanted to make clear is that the police officers involved in the shooting were justified in using deadly force against Ruben Houston and no charges will be filed against them.
The Outagamie County District Attorney delivered the details of what happened the night Firefighter Mitch Lundgaard and Officer Paul Christensen, among others, were called to the Valley Transit Center in Appleton.
On May 15th, Houston was traveling from Fond Du Lac to Appleton on a Lamers Bus when he overdosed on morphine. Emergency crews were called to the scene and administered Narcan, a drug used to revive someone who has overdosed on opioids.
After Houston regained consciousness, the D.A. says he immediately became combative when officers tried to search him. That's when he pulled out a small gun and began firing at Firefighter Lundgaard and the police officers.
Lundgaard was shot in the back and he died from his injuries.
According to the Outagamie County D.A., Houston fired 5 shots, hitting Lundgaard, Officer Paul Christensen and bystander Brittany Schowalter. Officers returned fire with a total of 19 shots. Christensen and Schowalter are recovering from their injuries.
Appleton Fire Department personnel have administered naloxone 12 times since June of 2018, according to a response to a records request. Narcan is a brand name product for naloxone. Gold Cross Ambulance handles all patient billing. The Fire Department would typically only pay for a unit of naloxone, about $27.50 each, if the drug were to expire while in the Fire Department's stock, according to the Appleton Fire Department.
