Authorities say two bank employees, an attorney, and a police officer are the victims of a string of shootings in the Wausau area Wednesday.
The Department of Justice said Dianne M. Look, 67, and Karen L. Barclay, 62, died after being shot at Marathon Savings Bank. Sara H. Quirt Sann, 43, an attorney at a nearby law firm, also died.
Jason Weiland, 40, a detective and 15-year veteran of the Everest Metropolitan Police Department, was the officer killed.
A 45-year-old man is in custody for the shootings, but hasn't been charged.
Officials said Weiland was among officers who responded to the apartment complex in Weston following attacks at the bank in nearby Rothschild and the law firm in Schofield. The suspect was taken into custody after a standoff at the apartment complex.
According to the justice department, Weiland spent 18 years in law enforcement, all in the Wausau area, including the last 15 years with the Everest Metro police force. He is survived by a wife and two children.
Look had been the branch manager at Marathon Savings since 1998, when she and her family returned to Wisconsin from South Dakota. She is survived by her husband of 25 years and their two children.
Barclay moved to Wisconsin in 1993 and had worked at the bank for more than five years. She is survived by a daughter and two granddaughters, ages four and seven.
Police characterized the initial shooting at the bank as a "domestic situation," but they haven't provided further details about the circumstances surrounding the attacks or identified the suspect.
The bank shooting was reported around midday. Officers arrived at the bank to find two people were shot and the suspect had fled.
A second call came about 10 minutes later from Tlusty, Kennedy and Dirks law firm. The action then moved to an apartment complex in Weston.
Dozens of police vehicles were parked Thursday in front of the apartment complex, which was ringed by yellow crime-scene tape. Officers could be seen walking around with clipboards. Jason Smith, a deputy administrator for the state Department of Justice's Division of Criminal Investigation, said more than 100 officers were investigating.
Kelly Hanson, a 21-year-old woman who lives in the complex, told The Associated Press that she looked out of her apartment window at around 1:15 p.m. Wednesday to see a squad car approach, and a few seconds later heard a gunshot and saw an officer fall. She said other officers put the wounded policeman in an armored SWAT vehicle and took him away. She couldn't tell if he was alive or dead and police have not said if this was the officer who died.
Janet Schoenfeldt, who owns a hair salon behind the bank, said she was at the front desk around 1 p.m. Wednesday when squad cars poured into the parking lot, followed by ambulances. An officer then told her to close her shop and get out of the area.
"It's a sad reality. Someone taking innocent lives over something he's upset about," Schoenfeldt. "We're a small-knit community. You just don't think it will happen here. Everybody says that, but you know what? It does happen here."
Associated Press writers Jeff Baenen, Doug Glass and Steve Karnowski in Minneapolis, and Gretchen Ehlke in Milwaukee contributed to this report.
The President and CEO of Marathon Savings Bank issued a statement about the shootings.
"We are deeply grieved by the tragic loss of life in our community, and especially for the lives of our dear friends and colleagues who were among the victims of yesterday’s shootings.
Karen and Dianne were both warm, wonderful women who were beloved by our Marathon Savings Bank family. We are heartbroken over the loss of our friends and mourn for their families and for the families of all of the victims.
We are grateful for the courageous and selfless service of our local law enforcement and first responders – and extend our deepest condolences to the family of Officer Weiland who died protecting our community.
We have been profoundly moved by the outpouring of support we have seen today. We are proud to be a part of such a strong and close-knit community that has come together to support and care for each other in the most difficult of times."
