Ozaukee County sheriff 'extremely proud' after 38-hour standoff ends

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FREDONIA, Wis. —Authorities arrested a Fredonia man Saturday morning after a 38-hour standoff. The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office said the man repeatedly threatened to shoot and kill law enforcement if they entered the home.

Ozaukee County Sheriff Christy Knowles spoke with reporters Monday about the massive SWAT response to the home on Fox Glen Road in Fredonia.

"All of law enforcement on scene showed great restraint, patience, professionalism and perseverance. I'm extremely proud of how they handled this situation. No one was killed. The suspect had every intention of killing a law enforcement officer if they entered his residence, " Knowles said. "That would have been the unintended consequence if we decided to rush in."

Ozaukee County sheriff's deputies first responded to the home Thursday night, after several nearby residents called 911 to report gunfire coming from the home on Fox Glen Road.

"The number of 911 calls received during this incident overwhelmed our communication center," Knowles said.

Diane Kraus, who lives nearby, said her husband went to the man's house and tried to speak with him.

"Just to find out why he was shooting. And he didn't say much," Kraus said.

Kraus said her husband called 911 when the gunfire continued.

"We heard several other pops before the police came here," Kraus said.

SWAT teams from multiple counties responded to the home. Knowles said the 37-year-old man refused to comply with law enforcement.

"The homeowner was reached by phone and acknowledged playing loud music and firing weapons from his residence. The subject stated he was going to continue playing music, and if anyone came to his residence, he would shoot them," Knowles said. "Shortly after the phone conversation, deputies actually heard multiple gunshots coming from the residence. The shots continued to be fired an additional 45 minutes, some described as extremely heavy fire."

Nearby residents were instructed to take shelter in basements, away from windows. Deputies also escorted some residents away from the scene.

"The duration of the incident has come into question. The primary goal in a situation like this is preservation of life. Our top priority for the entire duration of this incident was the safety of the community, law enforcement personnel and the individual involved. We used nearly every tactical approach possible to allow the suspect to surrender peacefully," Knowles said.

Knowles listed some of the tactical approaches used. A heavy law enforcement presence surrounded the home, negotiators communicated with the man over a PA system, the man's family recorded a message to be played over the PA system and at one point, power was cut off to the neighborhood.

SWAT teams used different breaching tools to open up the house and deployed non-lethal rounds of chemical gas munitions and flashbangs. Tactical robots went into the house, and a long-range acoustic device was also used.

"A lot of this was meant to play on his psyche and break him. And he eventually broke," Knowles said.

A stationary fire hose would be what ultimately led to his surrender. Knowles called it a ground monitor.

"It's essentially a fire hose. So the amount of pressure that comes from that, if that hits a person, that's going to hurt. We were doing it early on Friday and we didn't get the reaction from him. But once we opened up the home, then we were able to see where he was. So he got that direct pressure and that ultimately led him to come out of home," Knowles said.

Knowles said the first time her deputies used the specific training was during this standoff. The Port Washington Fire Department and Fredonia Fire Department assisted deputies with the ground monitor.

At the back of the home, WISN 12 News observed targets attached to trees depicting photos of democratic governors from Colorado and California.

"The suspect expressed his dismay for government," Knowles said.

"When it comes to the duration of the event, what intelligence did you have pertaining to maybe what weapons he might have had that kept you guys from just going in?" WISN 12 News reporter Kendall Keys asked Knowles.

"This isn't the first time we've been there. We have past calls with him. This was a two officer response at all times based on some of the past history we had with him. And during those calls, we knew he had firearms. And then just with some of our drone footage, we were able to see the, some of the weapons inside of the home, and, there were a lot. There was a lot of firepower in that home," Knowles said.

WISN 12 News obtained a temporary restraining order filed against the homeowner last year. It said he had AR-15, AK-47 and SA weapons in an upstairs bedroom of the home.

Knowles did not have information about whether the guns were purchased legally.

Knowles said the man remained on the second floor of the house for the duration of the standoff, which ended Saturday morning.

"I will do everything in my power to make sure I don't have to tell a parent, the officer's parent, an officer's wife or husband, or their children that they died because we chose to rush in to take care of the threat inside, when we had that threat controlled from the outside," Knowles said. "I'm extremely happy with the outcome that we have."

Knowles said her office will be recommending criminal charges to the district attorney's office, including multiple counts of recklessly endangering safety and failing to comply with law enforcement.

Knowles said Monday the man remains in the hospital and is receiving treatment for minor injuries and a mental health evaluation.