APPLETON, Wis. — On May 15, 2019, Firefighter Mitchell Lundgaard was responding to a medical call on a bus at the Appleton transit station.
A 47-year-old Wausau man, Ruben Houston III, was revived with Narcan by first responders after suffering an overdose while on the bus. Police said Houston walked away after receiving treatment. Responders were trying to encourage Houston to seek additional medical care, but he refused.
Then, Houston pulled out a small handgun and fired, striking Lundgaard and a police officer at the scene.
Authorities said the police officer who was hit in the leg immediately fired back at Houston. Outagamie County officials said Houston then grabbed a bystander and used her as a human shield. Police shot at Houston, killing him. The bystander was also injured but survived.
Mitch Lundgaard is the first Appleton firefighter in 86 years to die in the line of duty. He served 14 years with the department. He was 36 years old.
He was also a family man. An obituary says Lundgaard and his high school sweetheart were married for 12 years and had three sons.
He enjoyed coaching his children in sports and taking family trips to Disney World. Lundgaard was also an avid runner and enjoyed golfing.
The obituary says the family is incredibly thankful for all the support they've received and that it has provided comfort in an extremely trying time.
