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John Roemer, a former Wisconsin judge, died after he was shot in his New Lisbon home on the morning of June 3. Given that the alleged attacker had some sort of hit list, Roemer's death is believed to be a targeted attack.
The suspected attacker was found in the basement of the house with a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said. Upon further investigation, it was found that the gunman had been sentenced to prison over a decade ago by none other than John Roemer.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was the first to report Roemer's killing and that the suspect had other potential targets on his hit list. Other names included government officials like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
John Roemer bound and shot by a prisoner he sent to jail
A 911 call at about 6:30 a.m. reported seeing an armed person firing shots at John Roemer. The caller was apparently inside the home when the shooting occurred and is said to have "exited the home and contacted law enforcement from a nearby home" by the Attorney General’s office.
Soon after the call, a Juneau County tactical response team was dispatched to the location. They entered the home at 10:17 a.m. after what the Attorney General described as a failed attempt at a negotiation. When the team entered the home, they found the former judge dead and the suspect in the basement seriously wounded. Officers began taking life-saving measures when they located the second individual.
On Saturday, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) identified the alleged gunman as 56-year-old Douglas K. Uhde, the same individual found in the basement with an "apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound."
Uhde was taken to a medical facility and remains in critical condition, the department stated.
Authorities also stated that they recovered a firearm at the scene without giving any other details.
Meanwhile, the Wisconsin Department of Justice has assured people that there is no active threat and that the incident appears to have been the outcome of a former court case.
Addressing a press conference, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said:
"This, as I mentioned before, does appear to be a targeted act and the individual who is a suspect appears to have had other targets as well. It appears to be related to the judicial system."
He further added:
"Those who may have been other targets have been notified of that, but we are not aware of any active threat to individuals. If we become aware of any specific ongoing threat, we will certainly notify people when we are aware of that."
Former judge John Roemer was on the bench from 2004 and was reelected twice. He eventually retired on August 10, 2017. Roemer was also a retired lieutenant colonel with the U.S. Army Reserves.
Donna Voss, one of the late John Roemer’s next-door neighbors, told reporters that Roemer was a really nice guy. She also said that John Roemer had recently lost his wife and son while his two other sons had lived with him in Wisconsin.
Meanwhile, an ABC report stated that it was possible that one of his sons might have been a witness to the shooting.
As per reports, Uhde is still not charged with the killing.
