Lucas Robinson Wisconsin State Gazette
A gunman shot dead a retired Juno County judge Friday morning in what Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Cole called a “targeted act” against the judiciary.
An unidentified gunman killed 68-year-old John Roemer at a judge’s home in Lisbon around 6:30 a.m., officials said.
U.S. Sen. Howard Marklain, R-Spring Green, who represents Juneau County, confirmed Roemer’s death in a statement, adding that “we never expect a violent tragedy to happen in our small, cohesive communities.”
During a press conference Friday afternoon, Kaul did not confirm Roemer’s identity, but said the gunman had compiled a list of other potential targets. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that Gov. Tony Evers has appeared on the list of shooters.
The attorney general did not name the 56-year-old shooter or point to other potential targets.
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“The information gathered so far shows that this is a deliberate action and the referral seems to be based on some kind of lawsuit or lawsuits,” Kaul said.
“We are limited in what information we can provide at this time,” Kaul added, citing the ongoing investigation.
The Juneau County Sheriff first responded to the scene after another man at the residence fled to a nearby home and contacted authorities, Kaul said.
A tactical team entered the residence shortly after 10:30 a.m. and found the shooter who shot himself in the basement, Kaul said. The shooter was hospitalized in serious condition.
Roemer was first elected a judge by the Juno District Court in 2004 and then re-elected in 2010 and 2016. He retired in 2017.
Romer
While on the bench in Juneau County, Roemer was in charge of some important business.
In 2017, he led a case in which village president Lyndon Station was convicted of 22 counts of sexual assault. Roemer ruled that the jury was unreliable and gave Donald Coughlin a new trial, in which he was convicted again.
In 2009, he convicted a former Nekeda religious leader of hiding the body of a follower who died of natural causes in his bathroom.
Donna Voss, who has lived next door to Roemer for 22 years, describes him as a “really nice person”.
“This is not the type of neighborhood where something ever happens,” Voss said.
After the shooting, Voss said Roemer’s two sons had fled to the nearby home of a law enforcement official. Roemer’s wife and another son have died in recent years, Voss said, and the judge has lived with his other two children.
Other targets on the shooter’s list have been notified and there is no longer a threat to public safety, Kaul said.
The justice ministry is investigating whether others were involved in Friday’s shooting.
Caul appeared at a news conference Friday, surrounded by Juno County Sheriff Brent Oleson and Tina Virgil, head of the State Department of Justice’s criminal investigation department.
Judge John Roemer, left, and U.S. Sen. Howard Marklain in 2016.
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The attorney general said the criminal investigation department was leading the investigation into the shooting and “often participates in complex investigations of this nature.”
Kaul noted that Juneau County lawmakers were considered witnesses to the incident.
The city of Lisbon is about four miles north of Moston, the county seat, and 80 miles northwest of Madison.
Photos: Recalling the horrific van crash that killed seven young people in 1999
Wisconsin State Patrol Sgt. Bradford Altman spoke at a press conference on March 25, 1999, about the fatal incident early in the morning near Janesville.
SARA TUS, STATE NEWSPAPER
Choan Lane is waiting for his signature to be prepared after his initial appearance on April 17, 2000, at the Rock County Court in Janesville. Lane and his subscription company, YES, have been charged in a minibus crash that killed seven people.
CRAIG SCHREINER, ARCHIVE OF STATE MAGAZINES
Jeremy Holmes, right, and Public Defender John Bergström appeared on March 26, 1999, in Rock County District Court, where Holmes was facing 14 charges resulting from a fatal van crash. The 20-year-old Holmes has been charged with seven counts of negligent car murder and five counts of grievous bodily harm.
JOHN MANIACS, ARCHIVE OF STATE SPECIAL …
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